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| 17th Hot Air Balloon Festival - Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga |
Pampanga | 17th Hot Air Balloon Festival: a prelude to a fun-filled adventure in Clark
Bulacan | Spelunking at Bayukbok Cave, a fun-filled yet life-threatening, extreme adventure
As I wrote in my previous post (Conquering Mt. Manalmon), I am not an active type of person; not into sports, not into any exercise regimen except for a short walk from my office in Ayala Avenue to MRT station (Ayala-EDSA), which of course is hardly strenuous. But would you believe that I went through (unexpectedly, that is) an extreme, life-threatening adventure during our spelunking at Bayukbok cave?
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| The Pinay Wanderer, on a cliff inside Bayukbok cave |
Bulacan | Conquering Mt. Manalmon: A day-hike adventure
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| view from the Mt. Manalmon summit |
I'm not an active type of person; couch potato, you may call me. No regular exercise regimen, no strenuous activities. Certainly, no outdoor adventures. For years, I've been like this. Boring, right? :D Recently however, I've decided to go out, to come out of my comfort zone; to join a group of friends on a day-hike adventure to Mt. Manalmon.
Reliving the Past in Heritage Village, Vigan City
After a short stopover in La Union, we continued our way to Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, the original destination of our road trip.
Vigan City is about 400 kilometers away from Manila, depending on traffic situation, around 8-9 hours drive via NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) and SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway). It is located on the west coast of Northern Luzon and is the seat of provincial government of Ilocos Sur. Vigan City is famous for its Heritage Village, a tourist destination where ancestral houses and other structures built during the Spanish era can be found. Heritage Village was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Site for these well-preserved ancestral houses and other historical and religious structures.
It was already evening when we reached Vigan City. We walked around the Heritage Village, along Calle Crisologo and nearby streets, admiring the vintage houses that they turned into tourist attractions, taking photographs here and there.
It was already evening when we reached Vigan City. We walked around the Heritage Village, along Calle Crisologo and nearby streets, admiring the vintage houses that they turned into tourist attractions, taking photographs here and there.
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| the famous Calle Crisologo of the Heritage Village, Vigan City |
Road Trip to Ilocos Sur: La Union Stopover
I love traveling. Yet, I am not that fond of long road trips. Most of the time, long commute or long road trips made me feel dizzy and nauseated, especially when riding public transport vehicles like bus or van. So when I go on a long commute, I always make sure to sit on the first two rows of the bus/van (in those seats, the feeling of dizziness and nausea lessens). Otherwise, I wouldn't get in. I would wait for another bus/van just to be seated on those first two rows.
It's another story though, when riding in a private vehicle. Although I still felt dizzy, I can go sit on the backseat because I can open the car windows anytime I feel sick. I don't know what's with the open air, but it somehow relaxes me when I get to breathe fresh air, or should I say polluted air...hehe!
