The (mer)Lion Roars

Back in the land of Simha...

Belgium 2000

Can't believe I was here in the past.

9 years ago to be exact.

The Atonium in Belgium.

Thanks Mop-petite.

Yoga in Camiguin

It was the middle of the day... the weather was perfect... the place was serene... the water crystal clear... I was enjoying the beach alone and couldn't resist the temptation of taking a yoga shot while my father and his cousins reminisce the old days over Red Horse and fresh sea foods.

A firefly in Camiguin

Kurma's wife?
We had a quick visit at the Enigmata Treehouse before going to Mantigue. I was able to talk to the owner Rosalie and told her about my plans of conducting yoga retreats in Camiguin. It's still far away in the future but it is something I would love to do... promote the Philippines, especially Camiguin, through yoga. Enigmata offers not only vegetarian dishes but many programs that are supportive to one's spiritual pursuits.

Rosalie said they've been conducting workshops already but because Camiguin is mainly a Catholic community, there are a lot of misconceptions about yoga. Then I thought, maybe we can offer cheerleading stunts a.k.a partner yoga instead. Inshallah. For now, the possibilities seem endless.

The Island Born of Fire

CAMIGUIN ISLAND is said to be "Born of Fire". It has seven volcanoes unmatched anywhere else in Southeast Asia. Volcanic eruptions and land movements have created this spectacular island full of natural wonders and historical riches. Read more here: http://www.camiguin.gov.ph/

Mantigue Island, Camiguin

Spent two nights in the Island of Camiguin with my father and his local relatives. The last time I was here was almost 20 years ago. It's a dear place because it's my paternal grandmother's hometown. People receive their nourishment from both the land and the sea. I had to let go of vegetarianism for a couple of days and ate fresh seafoods in order to truly experience life in Camiguin.

The beautiful island of Mantigue just 20 minutes off the main island where not many locals have gone. My father's cousins said it was their first time to go to Mantigue and they've lived in Camiguin practically all their lives.

A photo I took from the Port of Benoni while waiting for the boat to arrive from Balingaon.

Another photo from the Port of Benoni.

Carabao Island, Philippines

Originally posted by youtube user Bualaw08.

Visit these sites also:
www.enjoyphilippines.com
www.carabaobeach.com
The Next Boracay

For Surfing in the Philippines:
www.liquid-body.com

Photos of the Old Dir'iyah

Will post texts soon.

Enigmata Tree House in Camiguin

"We arrived in the treehouse at night, which made it difficult to see the entire structure. Despite that, it was easy to feel charmed by the place. Quaint is not the word to describe it; rather it is artistic and bohemian in look and feel. Ros, the owner, welcomed us and had us remove our shoes before leading us to our room, the Eagle’s Nest, on the third floor. The rooms are built around a big acacia tree and are supported by poles. The staircase is narrow but not even it was missed by details. In between steps are wood planks carved with varying patterns from nature such as leaves and flowers." - Debbie Sion

Debbie is one of my good friend Fritz's high school classmates and is based in Davao City. I haven't met her personally. She wrote a good review of the Enigmata Tree House in Camiguin and it made me want to visit my paternal grandmother's home island this July.

The Journey to Budget Airlines Online Booking

It's the end of the week in this part of the world. The first week of the 2nd semester is finally over and classes should normalize starting Saturday. Got no class on Wednesdays so today should be an easy day.

I've been web-surfing best fares to Phuket and when I've finally decided to purchase the ticket from Air Asia, their website went down probably from too much traffic as they're on sale since yesterday. The Singapore-Phuket ticket would cost only 61USD. I just hope I can still get that later when their system "comes back to life".

This whole online booking experience is an adventure in itself. You have to be at the site at the right time in order to get the best fare. I got too excited when Tiger Air offered a cheap flight to Bangalore from Singapore last month, so I decided to purchase my ticket and paid 290usd. A week later, they slashed the price to 200usd. Now I have to book a flight from Singapore to Phuket. Air Asia seems to offer the best fare as of the moment and I'm not sure if Jetstar or Tiger Air will offer something cheaper in the future. Guess this is one of those moments when you simply have to follow your instinct... and listen to that voice within.

How much of the Philippines have you visited?

Took this test here and got a grade that most of my students here at PSU dread for. A "C"!!! My goal is to have an A+ in two years. Sabi nga ni Dr. Jose Rizal, "Wag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan..." (As Dr. Jose Rizal said, "Don't be a stranger/foreigner in your own country").

My Lakbayan grade is C!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Here's for the Visited Countries' version.

More Red Sands Photos

Panoramic shot from Lennard's mobile phone

A shot from Alex's mobile phone

Macky trying to solve our problem... ride got stuck in the sand.

Enjoying lunch at the Hidden Valley

(What does a vegetarian Pinoy OFW in Saudi do in situations like these?

Bring your own vegetarian baon/lunch... ;-p )

Lennard and I climbed this rock formation and

reached the highest point which you see on the left.

Another nice shot from Alex's mobile phone.

The boys enjoying the ATV at the Red Sand.

From Lennard's mobile phone.

Red Sands

The boys organized a "soft" (got the term from M when I told her it was only a 30 minute ride from the city center, about 100km) road trip to the Hidden Valley and the Red Sand. It was a choice between practice (haven't done a full one since Monday) and a chance to see this famous sand dune.

So what should an ashtangi do? Wake up at 3am, practice until 5:30am to have enough time to prepare for the 6am agreed departure time. Nah. Woke up at 4am though so I could still do pranayama before we hit the road. Thought the mat will always be there but not this chance to enjoy the desert. It's only once-in-a-blue-moon that the Pinoys at PSU organize a weekend road trip.

Here are some of the photos:

Rock formations at the "Hidden Valley"

Footprints in the (Red) Sand

Walking in the Sand

The Boys

Enigamata Treehouse Ecolodge in Camiguin

Googling for inexpensive places to stay in Camiguin Island, I was led to this website. It's looks cool and artsy... and guess what? It's vegetarian-friendly.

Why Camiguin? It's a place which reminds me of childhood and my paternal grandmother. The last time I was there was almost 2 decades ago. I think it's time to revisit the place, appreciate it as an adult and pay homage to my grandmother's birthplace. All I really cared about 20 years ago were the beach and the meat. Yep, I was a mean meat-eater in my past life. I never liked vegetables and was really a brat towards my grandmother if she won't serve me chicken and pork adobo... which reminds me... was really lovely. I can actually cook her adobo but uses tofu now. It doesn't taste the same of course but who cares?

Visit their website here.