8th and Pine

The 8th and Pine station of the St. Louis Metrolink

Take me Out to the Ballgame

My officemates took me out to watch a baseball game - between St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves - in Busch Stadium in St.Louis yesterday.

The game, which started at about 7:30 in the evening, was pretty close, 5-4 in favor of the home team.

And yup, we sang during the 7th-inning stretch, and had beers on plastic cups and gobbled Cracker Jacks during the game.

For tickets, visit St. Louis Cardinals website

Meet You in St. Louis

I'm in St. Louis, Missouri for a month on a work-related trip. Arriving on a Saturday (landed in the middle of tornado-induced heavy rains), I have two days to take a quick look around town before work. On Saturday night, my colleagues brought me to a place called The Loop at Delmar Ave, which has countless bars and shops dotting the street. We went to Blueberry Hill, a music lounge owned by Chuck Berry.

On Sunday I went to downtown riding the Metrolink - a light-rail system that traverses the city, from Lambert Airport all the way to the Illinois side of the river. After a quick trip to Macy's - I have to buy a couple of shirts after Delta Airlines lost my luggage in Detroit - I took the train again and went as far as Laclede's Landing and caught a glimpse of the 630-ft tall Gateway Arch - the tallest monument in the United States.

pics, from top: the Gateway arch, downtown St. Louis, the Sheraton Hotel

Airport to Airport

The airports that I passed through during my trip to St. Louis:

Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1, Manila

Chūbu Centrair International Airport, Nagoya

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Detroit

Lambert - St Louis International Airport, St. Louis

Lambert St-Louis Airport

Rain greeted my arrival in Lambert - St. Louis Airport, St. Louis, Missouri today.

Trip reports to follow :)

Lake Caliraya

Lake Caliraya, located in the town of Lumban, Laguna, is a man-made lake made in 1939. The lake - about 3 hours drive from Manila - resulted from the damming of Caliraya River by the US Army Engineers. It has a maximum length of 8 kilometers and 3 kilometers at its widest.

Built beside the lake are numerous resorts, and one of which is the Caliraya Re-Creation Center, the venue of my company's team-building exercises last weekend.

Numerous activities can be done in the resort, including wind surfing, jet skiing and riding the zip line.

How to Get There: if driving, take the South Luzon Expressway all the way to Calamba Exit. Follow the fork until the junction, then follow the road thru Calamba, Los Baños, Pila and Pagsanjan. At Pagsanjan church, turn left to Lumban town.

Contact Info: Caliraya Re-Creation Center 63.2.632.1010

pics, from top: Lake Caliraya, late afternoon drizzle brought a rainbow over the lake, riding the zipline, the main club house

Happy Earth Day

Summer

White sand on the beach, a pair of flipflops and boardies, and lots of sunshine -  perfect mix for a great summer. 

White Island, Camiguin, April 10, 2010

Lanzones

A hawker peddles lanzones - a seasonal fruit with juicy, translucent flesh - outside Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City. 


April 9, 2010 

Live Like the Na'vi's

One of my boyhood fantasies is to have my own tree house, where I can pretend to be like Robinson Crusoe, living off the land and having a great time communing with the monkeys up in the canopy. This was enforced further when I watched the movie Avatar, in which the blue Na'vi tribes people live in a giant tree house.

During the trip to Camiguin, the volcano island, we are fortunate enough to book in Enigmata Ecolodge, which to my delight, happen to be a hostel built on a century-old acacia tree. Run by environmentally-conscious artists, Enigmata - located in the capital town of Mambajao - exudes a charm that emphasizes communal living and respect to the environment.

We were billeted in the three-story main lodge, so we were afforded with a great view. The place is open air, and protection from mosquitoes and insects are provided by linen mosquito nets (which harks back to my childhood in the province when we also use mosquito nets ). The water for the gravity operated shower comes from a mountain spring, and the decor has a bohemian, eco-friendly vibe to it - recycled wine cork turned into a cork board, plastic bottles recycled into translucent skylight, bamboo slats for floors and thatch for roofing for the full effect.

Conspicuous consumption is discouraged, though, so if you are looking to be served like a diva in a spa, then this is not for you. Smoking is a big no-no (a fine of PhP100 for every cigarette butt), softdrinks brought from the outside are levied with high corkage, and guests are encouraged to put the lights out by 11 pm. But if you were guilty of the carbon footprint that your travels have generated so far, then a stay in Enigmata would be perfect.

How to Get there: Enigmata is in Mambajao town. Take a tricycle or minivan from Benoni port to Mambajao, and get off at Maubog Bridge junction. A sculpture at the side of the road serves as a landmark. The lodge is located about 500 meters up the road. The staff may arrange a pickup from Benoni, if requested. An overnight stay for 2 is PhP 950, PhP200 for each additional guest.

Contact Info: Tel. no +63 88 3870273 or at mobile +63 918 2304184. Email: enigmatatreehouse@yahoo.com

pics, from above: treetop view from our room; the dining room/library called Balay Kalipay; the tree house; the wooded spiral staircase going up to the second floor.

There's a App for That

The iTunes App Store of Apple has an extensive array of travel-related applications that you can install in your iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. Many of the apps are free (or at least available in ad-supported and "lite" versions) and others can be bought for as low as $0.99. You must have an iTunes account before you can buy the apps.

Here are some free apps I would recommend for tech-savvy travellers:

TripIt - this app consolidates your travel itinerary by parsing your booking information into a organized list. After downloading and installing the app, you will be asked to open an account in their website, after which you email them your booking info that will be used populate the app.

Frommer's Travel Tools - this is a collection of functionalities, including a converter, time translator, tip calculator, a packing list function, flashlight and more.

HostelWorld - this free app from HostelWorld.com is used to search and book rooms and accomodations. It can save important data such as directions and booking info for each hostel.

Currency - a free app for an at-a-glance currency conversion. You can customize the currencies to include in the list. The app updates the conversion rates when there is an internet connection, either via WiFi or 3G, but it will use the last info when offline.

Otherworldly

The ceiling of Suria mall below the Petronas towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, projects an otherworldly vibe.

April 3, 2010

Tropical

A coconut tree bows toward the sea in Camiguin, contrasting against the blue sky. 

Spills

Video of us, in action, during the white water rafting trip in Cagayan de Oro

White Island

White Island is a sand bar located 2 kilometers from the coast of Mambajao, Camiguin. Shaped as an "I" or a "C" depending on the tides, the sand bar, with its white sand and the cerulean waters surrounding it, is perfect for a lazy day of beach bumming.

It is also the perfect place to appreciate the grandeur of Mt. Vulcan and Hibok-hibok, the two volcanoes that figure so much in Camiguin's history.

Hot to Get there: Small boats called bancas can be hired at the Paras Beach Resort in Mambajao, Camiguin to take you to the island, for PhP400 with up to 7 passengers. There is an entrance fee of PhP 15 per person to the island.

pics, from above: the sandbar with Mt. Hibok-hibok in the background; jetskiing around the island; perfect sunset; beach goers trooping to the other side of the sandbar

Little Boatman

This boy is our boat tender during the short banca ride to the Sunken Cemetery

Island of Fire

An overnight trip to Camiguin follows a day of white water rafting. Camiguin, composed of 5 towns, is an island province northwest of Cagayan de Oro. It is accessible via an inter-island ferry, which traverses the Bohol Sea.

The island province was literally born of fire - it is composed of four stratovolcanoes that straddle older volcanic structures. One of the volcanoes is Hibok-Hibok, which is active and last erupted in 1953.

The fast craft we took left Cagayan at 8am and it docked in Benoni port 3 hours later. We hired a small van that will take us around the island, first taking us to Enigmata, an eco-lodge located in Mambajao, the capital town. After freshening up and grabbing lunch at a carinderia, we set out to 250-foot high Katibawasan Falls for a quick dip in the cool waters.

Next waypoint was the Sunken Cemetery. Yes, you heard it right. The century-old cemetery is located out on the sea, 20 feet below. According to the locals, the land where it was built sunk to the sea when the nearby Mt. Vulcan erupted in 1871.

A large cross built on a small islet marks where the cemetery is now. The coral-encrusted tombstones are still visible from the surface, and one can snorkel or skindive to take a closer look at them.

After snorkeling in the Sunken Cemetery we went to the ruins of the Guiob church, in Catarman town. The church was also destroyed by the 1871 volcanic eruption.

Around 4pm when the sun's rays were already bearable we headed to White Island, a 15-minute banca ride away from a small jetty in Catarman. The island's attraction is the long sandbar, which , with Mt. Hibok-hibok in the background, makes a dramatic view.

The last leg of our day was a trip to the Ardent hotspring at the foot of the volcano, but I would not recommend this. The place was full of locals and tourists, many of whom are drunk. We went inside after paying the PhP30 entrance fee but immediately left after surveying the place. Dinner at Kan-anan sa Parola (Eatery by the Lighthouse, the same guys who sell the yummy pastel) capped the wonderful day.

How to Get There: Camiguin is accessible from Cagayan de Oro via the Paras Sea Cat (+63.88.857.2727), a daily ferry service that leaves at 8:30am at Macabalan pier. Fare is PhP 400, and the return trip from Camiguin is at 4pm. The ferry goes onward to Jagna, Bohol after docking in Camiguin.

Alternatively, you can also take the ferry from Balingoan town in Misamis Oriental. It is cheaper (PhP 135) and faster (only one hr), but you will have to take a bus to/from Cagayan de Oro Agora station (PhP 110 each way).

Vans and multicabs can be hired in Benoni port for PhP1800 for 8-9 hours to take you around the island, the driver serving as the tour guide.

Where to Stay: Enigmata is a good alternative from the usual lodges in Camiguin. The rooms are actually in a big tree house built on an acacia tree. Environmental conciousness is required in the hostel though; guests are encouraged to out the lights out by 11pm, and smoking is a no-no.

pics, from top: the sandbar of White Island with Hibok-hibok on the background, Katibawasan Falls, sitting back at the Enigmata treehouse, a coral-encrusted tombstone in the Sunken Cemetery, the ruins of the bell tower of Guiob church, the volcanoes as seen from the ferry

Drenched

A tourist on a rafting cruise cools down in a small waterfall along the Cagayan de Oro river

April 9, 2010

A River Runs Through It

Scenes from the white water rafting adventure in Cagayan de Oro City

April 9, 2010

Shooting the Rapids

Me and my friends from the UP AstroSoc decided to go to Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin in Mindanao for our summer outing, and white water rafting is one of the activities that we wanted to do.

From the airport we checked in to our hostel and then went to the site, in Makahambus. After outfitting us with helmets and lifejackets and a brief intro on paddling and safety guidelines, the guides then started us on a 12 kilometer Class II and III course. There are 16 rapids along the way, and a few of the involves getting spilled from the raft. The whole course will take about 3-4 hours.

You may request the guides if you want more challenging rapids, and if you want spills or if you want to float down the river in some parts of the course. Usually there are about 3-4 groups of rafters that set at a time.

How to get there: Cagayan de Oro, one of the largest cities in the south of the Philippines, is about 1hr 20mins by plane from Manila, and is served by the major airlines.

The guides can fetch you from a pre-agreed meeting place for transit to the Makahambus area, the staging point of the course.

Where to stay: Magis Training Center of Xavier University (call Aling Ineng, +63.907.970.3120) accepts transients for about PhP 200/person. It is along the highway and is near the SM mall.

Rafting Guides: There are several outfits that provide guide services. Ours is Red Rafts (call Rex, +63.917.868.4540). Fee is PhP 700 for the 12-kilometer Class II and III course; they will charge PhP 200 per head if you want to get lunch at the end. They can also take pictures and vids for you for PhP 1000.

pics, from top: our group, shooting the rapids, getting the spill, another group of rafters, getting drenched in a small waterfall along the river