Masungi Georeserve

 

How is it that this beautiful piece of land is just 1.5 hours away from crazy Metro Manila? And I mean acres of lush greenery, healthy trees and the unique rock formations that created the name Masungi – from the word Masungki which means ‘spiked’ in English (pertaining to the spiked limestone landscape seen all over the the conservation area).

Masungi Georeserve is a discovery trail with paved steps up & down the mountain, sturdy white ropes made to look like large hammocks and hanging bridges overlooking the whole area.

The company taking care of Masungi (Blue Star Construction & Development Corporation) and the foundation body of Masungi have taken real good care of this place and the whole trek was very organized. We barely saw other people even if we knew there was a group ahead of us and after us. Our guide, Kuya Ruben, would coordinate with other guides regarding our pace and location, making it appear as if we had the whole place to ourselves!

There is a long waiting list, so you must book very well in advance. We had to wait for 4 months. Fortunately, the weather that day was perfect. It rained the night before our trip so the ground was cool and we started at 7 am so the sun was about to shine and it wasn’t that hot yet. It took us 5 hours in total (mostly because of all the picture taking). I highly recommend this mini adventure. The Php 1,400/person fee was truly worth it. 👍🏼 (oh, and it comes w a light snack and some water & juice too!) ☺️

Sadly, there is a land dispute happening now between Masungi and the local government of Tanay, Rizal. Apparently, the local government is supporting these land grabbers. Hopefully there will be a fair resolution in court soon. #SaveMasungi 🌳

Brentrance!

Second half of June, we were in the UK and it happened to be on the week of Brexit, one of the most important events in the history of the UK and of Europe. Almost whole of London was in utter chaos the day of the voting because of “severe flooding” that delayed a number of lines on the Underground and Overground & caused heavy traffic on the streets of London. The Filipina in me thought this was a way to sabotage the voting, then again, I was in a different continent, a different country… and people from the UK don’t think that way (hence the no reaction look from my London friends heehee!). Sadly, the Leave party won.

It also happened to be the week of the Summer Sale! Oxford Street was filled with Sale banners and because of Brexit, the pound was dropping day after day.

Tons of walking and shopping and sight seeing for 10 days. We threw in a visit to the Tower of London and attended a prayer service in St. Paul’s Cathedral. My boyfriend’s mates took us out to Shoreditch and we had a fantastic dinner at Andina, a Peruvian restaurant, but then the server spilled smelly fishy sauce on my white shirt, which was really annoying. On another night, we had lamb & steak at Goodman London. Our server was so cute when he asked if we were from Cebu (because he saw our dried mangoes – our presents for our friends). He said that he has a friend from Cebu & he was so jolly about it.

On our 3rd day, we took a day trip to Windsor & Avebury. Amazingly, the Queen was inside Windsor castle and you could tell by the flag that they put up. If there’s a yellow color on the flag, that means that the Queen is in!

Avebury is a neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles. One of the prehistoric sites in Britain just like the Stonehenge, however Avebury contains the largest stone circle in Europe. During Summer Solstice (which happened when we were in the UK), Druids & Hippies celebrate in Stonehenge & Avebury.

It was quite nice to see Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage town known for its natural hot springs and 18th century Georgian architecture. Aside from the Great Roman Bath, this small town has a quaint vibe with all its little boutiques and cafes on the sidewalk. We took a nice stroll outside after checking out the Great Roman Bath.

There are so many things to see and visit when you’re in London. The parks are so beautiful especially during summer. And because the sun only sets after 9 pm, there’s a lot of time to go around as the days are essentially longer.

Green Park, beside the Buckingham Palace

the colourful houses in Notting Hill

along Kensington Gardens

the iconic Harrods

Borough Market

The Shard, tallest building in London

A tip for everyone, if you know you will be using the train often for a week, it’s best to buy an Oyster card with a one-week pass. At the end of your trip, if you return the card, you get  £5 back. Also, they have a booklet which you can get in tourist info areas or the Underground stations, wherein you can get a 2 for 1 price for almost all the  tourist attractions.

Fun times, London! xx

Apulit Island (El Nido Resorts)

Finally found the time to post about my Palawan trip last April 9… ☺️

Apulit Island is an Eco-Adventure island resort set in Taytay Bay, North-east of Palawan. It’s an hour flight from Manila via AirSwift (which handles the air travel of guests booked in any of the El Nido Resorts). In the Manila Domestic Airport (Terminal 4), you will already feel the hospitality and exclusivity of the El Nido Resorts as you will be handed free refreshments and a light breakfast snack while waiting to board the plane. Upon arrival at the El Nido airport, a customized jeepney  will shuttle all passengers to the receiving area. Some Kakanin or rice cake (a native Filipino delicacy) are served with refreshments at the receiving area. From there, a private van will take the guests to Taytay for about 45 minutes and then another 40 minutes by boat to get to the island.

It was about 10 am at that time when we reached Taytay. Unfortunately, the boat ride on our way to Apulit Island was so rough due to the strong waves clashing on the speed boat that I got really dizzy and sea sick. Thankfully I survived without vomiting or anything haha! And good thing that the boat ride going back to Taytay (on our last day in Palawan) was very smooth.. so I was really happy about that.

Anyway, as we approached the island, we could already see the beautiful Water Cottages over the crystal clear turquoise water. The sun was shining, the staff welcomed us w a nice song (and some more refreshments!), after that hell of a boat ride, I felt that everything became perfect once again.

The service was exceptional. There were staff members that were once from the old Club Noah that still remain in the now-El Nido Resort. All loyal & loving ladies and gentlemen servicing us with a smile.

Swimming Pool area

View during Breakfast

View from the top, before rappelling

There are so many outdoor activities you could do on the island. You can climb up the cross that’s on top of the limestones and rappel down 60m, hike up the mountain and end up on the other side of the island, go rock climbing 90m high, do paddle boarding & kayaking, snorkel and feed the fishes, go scuba diving or just have a piña colada while sun bathing. This island is perfect for adventure seekers, couples or families with kids.

These photos are not even half as good as how it is in person. And this is just one of the wonderful islands in El Nido Palawan. I can’t wait to see more of Palawan soon. 🙂