Don’t get me wrong… We had loads of fun during the Travel Factor‘s 2010 Surfvivor Beach Games in Baler. It’s just that, eerily enough, our group had a bunch of unfortunate incidents there. The moment we boarded the bus, we were already doomed – suffocating, really. Our big-stupid-bus-that-could seemed to have a gasoline leak and we had no choice but to inhale the fumes for more than eight hours. Blech. The bus crew did attempt to fix the problem, which was why we had around thrice as much the planned stopovers. Oh I’m sorry, am I being whiny?

It’s a good thing the resort we stayed in was pretty upscale. We checked in at Bahia de Baler whose name, according to legend, was coined from a bunch of ditzy kolehiyalas who stayed there during the Spanish colonial regime. “Manong driver-uh, we’re kinda pagod na. Uwi na kami sa bahay-uh…” I kid. Or maybe not.

We also had a blast with the city tour, courtesy of CY factor. We just rode a trike all the way to Ermita Hill, which was overlooking the entire stretch of the beach. Then we headed to Semento Beach, which was more like rocks and uhh water, before buying some souvenirs at the local market. We went surfing for a couple of days, which translates to extreme body ache – and I’m not complaining about that, by the way. Jaah lost her slippers on the beach. We were almost chowed down by a bunch of dogs guarding that Trezzo Italian Pizza place, which was apparently closed a long time ago. On our way home, we almost got into a rumble with the rowdy barbarians at the bus station. Reminded me of those good ole days when me and my college – oh sorry, I meant graduate school – roommates lined up for UAAP tickets outside Ateneo, along with the fanatic daddies, scalpers, and jejemons. Where was I? Oh, and CY nearly drowned for the SECOND time on that same beach. See? Cursed, I tell ya.

Well, I’m about to download Tim Urban’s Can’t Help Falling in Love studio recording so scratch that last statement. This guy has been banking on his good looks so far but he might actually win the entire thing. Not that he’s any good… but looks really go a long way in show business. Heck, he could even give Casey James a run for his money!

Before you start thinking that I’m a TUrban fan and I named this blog for him… NO. I’ve been and always will be a die-hard Castro-naut

As promised… Downloads!

Glee’s 14th episode (Hello) OST

American Idol Top 9 (Elvis) Studio Recordings

Jason Castro’s debut album

Happy listening!

Trailer! *Watch out for Other Asian*

Movies in 4D can’t be too far ahead. Ack, does that mean I’ll be taking my kids to watch Rialto-like movies? Pirates of the Caribbean in 4D, maybe? Spit of the krakken!

Maybe March was a bit of a blah month… but April sure looks promising!

Number one on my list of things to watch out for in April: The return of Glee. I mean, come on, who didn’t miss Sue Sylvester?

Here’s a couple more promo vids to get y’all riled up:

April 13′s the date! That’s April 14 for us PI-dwellers. Mark your calendars Gleeks! I heard ETC and Jack TV will be airing Glee episodes every Wednesday at 4pm, with encore telecasts at 8pm (Jack TV) and 10pm (ETC). No need to download, yay!

Oh and Usher’s new album (Raymond vs. Raymond) and Jason Castro’s debut album will be released next next week. Whee! Need to download, yay!

Happy April Fools’ Day everyone!

Arrived in Cebu at three in the afternoon, half a day later than the rest of the girls who were able to enjoy PAL’s business class coolness (hrmp). Checked in at the man-made paradise that is Plantation Bay Mactan.

Plantation Bay

Then we took a cab to Crown Regency Hotel in Cebu City to try out their Skywalk Adventure and Edge Coaster. We went straight up to the 37th floor and, when I looked down at the view, I thought “Heck, we paid PhP750 for this? What do we even need the harness for? It doesn’t look scary to me!” but I was so wrong. After we made a few wimpy steps around the metal platform surrounding the building, our guide announced that the first “activity” was to have our photos taken in this pose:

Jay-Jay, the bravest of 'em all

Ack, that photo didn’t capture the vertigo effect. It’s not that frikken easy as it looks! Of course before you are able to step precisely on the edge, you have no choice but to look down and make sure you’re stepping ON and not OFF the platform. You know how the view on the camera sort of refocuses when you adjust the lens? Imagine the whole world beneath you blurring then refocusing as you look down…. Then, SMILE!

As if we hadn’t had enough of heights, we proceeded to ride the edge coaster, which wasn’t much of a coaster really. I’m not talking about those wild rides with loop-de-loops in theme parks. This one was just a slow-cruising ride along the edge of the top floor of the building. And no, you won’t be staring at the view in front of you – that’s just for old people. The seats are tilted at a maximum of 55 degrees off the floor, placing you almost facedown from 38 floors above the ground. Yikes!

Day 2: Road trip to Bantayan Island, Ogtong Cave

Since there was nothing much to do in Plantation Bay (Bah, who am I kidding?! There’s tons of activities in the resort and it’s a pity we didn’t get to try them all out), we decided to visit other popular spots in Cebu. Woke up early in the morning to take a supposedly 4-hour road trip (manong driver made it in 2.5 hours!) to Hagnaya Port, before riding a ferry to the famous Bantayan Island.

The beach there was, ermm, disappointing. Sure, the water had a beautiful turquoise hue but the sand was dull and grainy. I guess I just can’t help but compare it to the pristine beaches of Palawan but it wasn’t all that bad.

Santa Fe Resort

There was nothing much to do in the resort (I mean it this time) so we took a pedicab ride to the Ogtong Beach Resort to visit the Ogtong Cave.

Ogtong Cave

Day 3: CnT Lechon, Karting @ Kart Zone, Waterfront Hotel, Shangri-la Mactan, Lapu-lapu Shrine

Another long road trip back to the city and an enormous amount of lechon fat in our tummies later, we headed over to Kartzone to go karting. PhP300 for 8 laps on the track? Not bad! Plus, it was my first time to go karting on an outdoor track so I had a blast!

Photo courtesy of Trisha So

Before heading home, a bit of camwhorage:

@ Waterfront Hotel

@ Lapu-lapu Shrine

Next stop: BALER!

Mall tours schedule:

March 18 – Trinoma

March 19 – Glorietta 5 Atrium

March 20 – Ayala Center Cebu

March 21 – Market Market

Of course, like any just-another-American-Idol-finalist, all he has are mall tours. I remember watching Michael Johns’ mini-concert in Trinoma, siksikan with Jumping Joes (who, I bet, have never really heard of Michael Johns until then), but still having a blast with my college roommates. But now, we MUST get tickets for good seats (and photo op!)… by hook or by crook!

I thought Toddrick Hall’s version of “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson was absolutely genius. Okay, maybe his Maroon Five-ish remake was a bit overboard but he didn’t “murder the song” and it wasn’t “verging from stupid” at all! Simon!

Just yesterday, they were criticizing most of the girls for being sound-alikes of certain artists and, now that we see a creatively original performance, they disapprove. Ohh tell me what you want, what you really really want…

Surprisingly, Joe Munoz and that Lee dude did okay, not mind-blowing, just okay… but the judges, especially Simon, thought they were the best among the pack. I thought Tyler Grady was toeing the thin line between sexy and creepy but he does seem like a cool guy to hang out with, haha. I’m sorry Aaron Kelly, tweetums just doesn’t do it for me. Except if you’re David Archuleta maybe. And Tim Urban, you really really suck so please stop singing and just look pretty. Ktnx.

I think it’s the judges’ mission to boost the morale of not-so-good contestants by telling them they did great (when they didn’t) and to downplay the performances of the good ones.

At the end of it all, Team Andrew Garcia all the way!

She’s the American Idol hopeful who seemed to have the entire universe conspiring against her. On her first try at Idol, her father got murdered, leaving her too emotionally stricken to compete. On her second try, she got a parking ticket and had to spend six days in jail. This season 9, her mom was reported missing just after Christmas. On top of that, she has a 10-year old daughter suffering from a developmental disorder. Think your life is shitty? Think again. I mean, if anyone deserves a big break, it’s Angela Martin. Unfortunately, the judges didn’t think so. Heartless.

Instead, they decided that blah contestants such as Katelyn Epperly, Katie Stevens, and Paige Miles deserved a shot at Idol fame. And they say the girls are much stronger this year. Bah.

Well, I have yet to watch the guys sing but, judging from their performance during the auditions Hollywood week, my heart goes out to Andrew Garcia, Toddrick Hall, and Jermaine Sellers. Talent, originality, you name it, these guys got it. For the girls, I pick Didi Benami, Crystal Bowersox, and Lacey Brown. Didi Benami because she reminds me of Brooke White from Season 7 but with more ooomph. Crystal Bowersox, well, you gotta love her boyish aloofness but star quality is probably out of the picture. And Lacey Brown… Am I the only one who disagrees with the judges’ comments on her rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide?! I got goosebumps! Plus, her eyes so purty she look like a fairy.

Let me just get this off my chest… Lilly Scott, you are not Lily Allen. And Haeley Vaughn, stop… Stop your face.

We stayed at De Loro Inn and Restaurant, which is 3 minutes away from the Puerto Princesa airport and just a few footsteps off their main road Rizal Avenue. We paid PhP 5,000 each for their Tour Package A, which includes 4D/3N accommodation in an airconditioned room, underground river tour, city tour, Honda Bay tour, daily continental breakfast, and airport transfer service. The inn itself was resort-inspired, with wooden floors and bamboo adornments here and there. Although you won’t exactly wake up in the morning feeling like P.Diddy, you’d find that the place is pretty good for less than PhP 1,000 a night, especially if you’re used to staying in resorts and if you’re not nitpicky. I mean, if you’re able to let a few things (like dust in the furniture corners, a centipede in the bathroom, bearably slow service) slide, you’d really enjoy the cozy, laidback atmosphere there. In fact, a few faults like these actually make the place feel more like home.

Upon the recommendation of a friend, we immediately headed to Badjao Seafront Restaurant to satisfy our seafood cravings. Since it would be difficult to get a trike from the restaurant, we were advised to “rent” one instead for only a hundred pesos. The ride was quite bumpy since most of their side streets were unpaved – free massage, as they say. We had to cross a bamboo bridge propped above the mangroves to get to the actual restaurant, which was overlooking the sea. We had shrimp sinigang, buttered crabs, and fruit shakes for almost a thousand pesos. A bit pricey (as we learned later on) but still way cheaper than in Manila.

In the afternoon, we went on a city tour to the Plaza Cuartel, Cathedral, Palawan Museum Crocodile Farm and Nature Park, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, Mitra Ranch, Bakers’ Hill, and Binuatan Creations Weaving Station. Among those tourist spots, my favorite was the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, popular for having inmates that roam free and even interact with tourists. Some of the inmates even live with their families in their own homes and have their livelihood inside the prison compound. The place also has a sports center and a souvenir shop where inmates can sell their own handmade crafts. Next to Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, where I can groove with the dancing inmates, this ranks a close second in the places I won’t mind being imprisoned.

I also enjoyed our visit to the Binuatan Creations Weaving Station where we were taught how to use the wooden weaving machine. Phew! It was a lot to cover for half a day and we were pretty much deadbeat when we got back to De Loro so we just thought of having dinner at the inn. Not such a novel idea.

The Honda Bay island-hopping tour, the best among the three tours, was on our agenda for the second day. Our guide suggested that we go snorkeling in Pambato Reef instead of going to Starfish Island… and boyyy did we have an awesome experience swimming with the aquarium cast of Finding Nemo! I’ve always wondered what it would be like to swim inside one of those big-ass aquariums in Sea World or Ocean Park and Pambato Reef provided just the answer. For almost thirty minutes of pure awesomeness, we had a guide pull us through a life raft so that we could see the entire reef. It’d make snorkeling in Boracay or Hundred Islands feel like nakaligo ka na nga sa dagat ng basura…

After that, we headed to a three-kilometer long sand bar known as Snake Island before having our lunch at Pandan Island, which resembles Boracay from fifteen years ago in all its un-raped pristine-ness.

Aside from our free lunch, we also ordered crabs for the group (2.5 kilograms for only PhP 500!) and tried out some seashell, uhh, creatures. Nom nom nom. We roamed around the island for a while then decided to get a massage under the coconut trees. This one is a must-try. Where else can you get a 30-minute full-body massage for less than fifty pesos?! Heck, this felt even better than the fancy massage services back in Manila.

Since we finished the trip early, we still had time to roam around the city. Getting around wasn’t difficult since there were plenty of trikes everywhere. Our co-travellers and the De Loro staff recommended that we have dinner at Ka Lui Restaurant, which was a very popular restaurant in Puerto Princesa. In fact, I think it’s one of those “If you haven’t eaten in _______, then you haven’t been to ________.” hotspots. One can walk barefoot on the restaurant’s bamboo floors since customers are asked to leave their footwear at the doorstep. The entire restaurant is decorated with artworks, photographs, and paintings… and it was a pity we were stupid enough to leave our camera behind. We ordered the Seafood Vegetable Special, which was a feast for two for only PhP 395. It was definitely belly-busting since it included three seafood viands (fish steak, prawns, and chili crabs), rice, soup, vegetables, and starters (latô: that green mini-grape looking seaweed).

On Valentine’s Day, we went on the underground river tour. Although the road trip (80% rollercoaster-esque, 20% bumpy) to the place takes more than a couple of hours, I really wanted to revisit the subterranean river because I went there when I was still a nerdy gradeschooler and it was one of my most memorable childhood experiences. In fact, I distinctly remember how our guide back then told us to shut off all our flashlights so that we could see how pitch dark the cave was. Gave me heebeejeebies, I remember.

This time around, our guide seemed to have a difficult time describing the rock formations since we were on a boat with a bunch of foreigners. Still, we had a good laugh with his jokes (Watch out for holy shit and Sharon Stone. Oops, did I just give that away?). On the way home, I desperately wanted to sleep in the van but found it impossible since a group of drunk rowdy Belgians were riding with us.

Originally, we planned to have dinner at the Blue Marlin French Cuisine restaurant right beside De Loro. However, since it was Valentines’ Day, they had a special set menu which costs PhP 695 per person. Thanks, but no thanks. We then asked the friendly De Loro staff where we could grab some grub and they told us to try Lotus Garden restaurant just beside Ka Lui. They had a Valentines buffet, which had seafood, Chinese and Filipino cuisine, costing only PhP 250 per person. We were seated on the bamboo floor with a customer who happened to be staying in the Lotus Garden Inn.

Now, I’m not particularly a fan of small talk but we did have a good chat with Beng (our tablemate). She’s from England but she happens to be on vacation visiting some of her siblings, who own a resthouse in Palawan. I don’t remember much of the conversation but I did find her life interesting, especially the part where she worked at an actual dealing desk in Dubai. Although a bit awkward at first, our dinner chat spanned from Pinoy politics to the iPad to the movie Rouge Trader. Good thing my companion was chatty too. Heck, he’s such the chatterbug that he spent more than three hours talking with some of the Japanese tourists in De Loro. Me, I talk for five minutes and I get tired. Or bored.

I guess being a good conversationalist is one of the things that’d be handy when you get bitten by the travel bug. And thanks to my fixation with seat sales, I got bit. Really hard. I got trips planned out for the first half of 2010 for crying out loud!

Anyway, here are a few more interesting factoids about Puerto Princesa (some from hearing our tour guides’ spiels over and over, most from observation):

• Puerto Princesa has 66 barangays, all represented in the city’s symbol of a peacock with 66 (duh) tails.
• The 250,000 hectare city has approximately 250,000 locals, which means that each resident could have an entire hectare of land all to himself. Of course that would be unfeasible, if not ridiculous, since most of the island is composed of mountains and forest land.
• Their coliseum, where most of their public events are held, can seat 8,000 (says our first guide) or 7,000 (according to our second guide) people.
• Puerto Princesa boasts of zero crime rate. Unlike in Manila, you can walk around the city at 2 a.m. without worrying about being mugged or gangbanged!
• There are no buses, cabs, or jeepneys in Puerto Princesa *gasp* but their trikes, which can literally get you anyplace, can seat 4-6 people. Standard fare is around seven pesos only.
• Almost everything is dirt cheap. We only spent around PhP 2,000 pocket money each on the entire trip. Of course, that doesn’t include the airfare, accommodations, and tours. But still… Check out our expenses for our 4D/3N stay:

Wallet-friendly, eh?

If I still haven’t convinced you enough to go to Palawan this instant, check out the rest of our pictures here. Lastly, me with karpintero:

Don't we look bad-ass?!