Sanchez Peak

A baby trek according to the pros but this definitely was one of the adventures of my life. My friends and I took the 3-hour trail from Brgy. Olympog to the highest spot in General Santos City. We were armed with 3 plastic bags of food, a liter of water for each, two tents, a trekking stick we picked up along the way, and Fres candies with such motivational words. Those words helped. Really!

For a non sporty human being, the trek was a challenge for me. A month of jogging and leg exercise kept me alive. It was no joke but the view was all worth the pains. We started at 3 pm and reached the top shortly after the sunset then set up the tents. We woke up at 6 am (but it's best to wake up at 5) to see and savor the amazing view of mountain ranges.

MSU Travelbugs we are!

To wake up to this beauty. How great is Thou art!

We are on top of the world!!!

Probably the steepest part of the trail. Thus, the hardest.

Overwhelmed!

Almost there!

View from the peak at sunrise.
Mt. Matutum is hiding behind the clouds.

Just yesterday we were there.

Let us dance the day away.

Breathing in the serenity.

Worshipping Thy wonderful works

We are such a tiny part of this world.

I was here.

Take a walk and enjoy the path.

We made it. Hurray!

My favorite photo. Surreal!

Magnificent Gensan city lights at night.

It is time to go home.

First-timer tips:

1. It is better to take the Olympog trail because of the existence of several trees that will shelter you from the sun. :)

2. You won't really need too much food. There is a small sari-sari store at the peak for some midnight snacking. Bring extra water instead if you have a sensitive stomach. The store does not sell bottled water.

3. Keep yourself warm. It is cold and windy at night until dawn.

4. If you are not a sporty person like me, give your legs and lungs a little warm up days before the trek.

5. No proper restroom. Ooopps. The store sells water for washing for Php 40 per gallon.

6. Enjoy the journey. Do not rush in making it to the top. It really is the journey, not too much of the destination. :)

P.S. I hope the local government will help take care of this beauty. 

Have an exciting climb friends! 

MSU Travelbugs

Our travel barkada just got more awesome with the addition of three new members. Trips have never been so much fun and exciting but this post is not about another getaway. This is a photo diary of that one random night of craziness and seriousness caught on cam. Enjoy!

P.S. Say hello to my short hair, the shortest I've ever gone. :)

Scarf It!!!

Scarves are part of my life as far as I can remember. They are a staple in where I live and work for protection against the sun and the dust. It never came to me that a scarf could be an accessory up until recently. 

I learned how to match the color and style of my scarf with what I wear. I used it as a neckpiece during a Baguio trip to keep me warm. On other travels in not so cold cities, I used it to boost a plain ensemble. I love the fact that it does not only give a different expression of a person's fashion style but it also is very functional. What's more, there are no strict rules on how to wear one. Thank goodness! If there were, I'd not be as brave to play with one.

Here's me and my little scarf obsession.

And here's Jessica Alba in her amazing scarf fashion!!! Speechless! Awed! 

She is everywhere and so are her scarves! Love! She uses it in every season and maybe for every reason! I think she always makes an excuse to use one. *Sigh! There are more tons of photos of her with a piece of cloth hanging on her neck! She now is my scarf peg! 

I'm feeling the need for some upping. Good thing I found this very helpful tutorial in youtube on how to wear a scarf. Note, there are no rules, just fun ways! And the lady in the video shows 25 awesome means for an awesome-looking scarf! (Redundancy alert!) :)

25 ways to wear a scarf

Bunny ear looks inviting. I will try that and more on the new scarves I received for my birthday. Thank you to my mom and my brother's girl. :)

I have a new travel mantra: Scarf it!

Seashells On The Seashore

“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.”

                                                                                                           --Isak Dinesen

I cannot agree more with Isak Dinesen especially on that third cure. Haven't you always find the sea so peacefully calm it can mend a broken soul... (even just at a moment). That's the best reason I can justify my love of the sea - PEACE. My next best reason is JOY.  Who goes to the sea and find no joy at all? The sea has been a witness to a number of joyful moments in my life - with family, friends, and even with just 'myself and I'. 

I go to see the sea even alone. Good that beaches are just few miles away from my home. But I have this favorite beach house at Lago, Glan, Sarangani Province. That's about an hour away from Gensan. This was first introduce to me in 2008 when the office guys and gals celebrated a year end party. It was a private beach house owned by a colleague's friend. We had the best party ever and so we went back the year after, in 2009, and only had the chance to come again in 2012.

The beach house captured my heart in so much admiration that I was always secretly wishing we'd go there every end of the year. Thanks to Sir Efren and his friend for a beautiful venue for celebrating fun and nurturing friendship.

Special thanks to Laiza for the photos (again). I better have a new camera soon!

A Night at the Carnival

Who doesn't want to go to a carnival?!? C'mon! It's where absolute fun is! It's where the child in us hops for joy. It's where all our craziness pop up. :) And that's where the gang went on the eve of a local holiday here in Gensan. 

Rommel, Paul, Doli, Jypzie , me, Laiza, Rendon, Jose

On this side of the world, this is how a carnival looks like - pretty simple. :)

The creaky rides and the games of chance.

And the shooting-shooting something. Laiza was a master of this. The last time, she got me a box of my oh-so-favorite Curly Tops. And she did once again. Plus a Nagaraya courtesy of the boys. Yey!

Simple Joys

The ferris wheel was not like those gigantic ones but I was still so chicken to try it because the last time I did, I found my world turning around like crazy. I swore not to do that again. 

But the boys felt they were brave enough. Looking so confident huh!

Before ferris wheel ride

After the ferris wheel ride

They couldn't find their balance after ;) But they wouldn't stop. More dizzy rides please! The two girls found their courage to join this time... while I was still in the process of finding mine. :)

They seemed to enjoy that! Now I wanna ride!!! 

What ride was this again? Was this the caterpillar?

My gosh! I had the loudest scream! That was fun!!! 

Earlier that day we agreed on spending only 50 pesos for an evening of fun and adventure. Everyone was so worried on how to stick on the budget considering the food, the expenses for fun here and fun there. We were half serious on the challenge. Well, we tried! We really tried! Until we got hungry! :) On the first 30 minutes of our evening, we said goodbye to our 50 pesos.

So we just walked around for the next 30 minutes not knowing where else to go but thanks to Paul - our rides sponsor! If not because of him, we wouldn't have taken the rides because we were already out of our budget. :) He was in a different office so he didn't get the memo. Shhhhhhh. (I'm afraid he will have second thoughts of joining us again. Heehee.)

Until the next 50-peso adventure guys! :)  Or maybe let's try a 25-peso adventure. Hmmm... I wonder what we can do with only that. :)