Honda Bay

Last day in Puerto Princesa.  Mia had been telling me to visit the Underground River National Park but it's a whole day event and I only had Saturday to visit interesting places around the city aside from restaurants and dessert places.  After the lunch at Saigon, Hudson, another colleague from the psych dept, informed us of their plans of going to Honda Bay and asked if we'd like to tag along.  And so we did.

First stop, snorkeling.

Passed by Starfish Island.  Got its name because of the abundance of sea stars.

 Second stop, the Snake Island.  

"If the Starfish Island is full of sea stars, does it mean the Snake Island is full of snakes?"

"Then why are we stopping here and staying for more than one hour?"

Apparently, it got its name not because slithering snakes rule the island but because of its shape.

Took a walk and explored the island.

On our way back, we passed by another island.  Wasn't paying attention to the names as I was exhausted from the sun, sand, and swimming... I happily dozed off.

For yoga, healing, detox retreat in Palawan, visit Bahay Kalipay.

OM

Yoga Retreat in Lake Sebu, Philippines

The Dining Area

The Yoga Hall

The Accommodation (cheapest option)

More comfy accommodation

Study cottages

The view from the resort.

Ok, that's my dream. To conduct yoga retreats in the different parts of the Philippines. Still a wishful thinking really but not impossible.

Do you like practicing yoga in an island by the beach? By a lake? Or in a mountain resort overlooking the Davao gulf? You can choose from over 7,100 islands. Do you want somewhere where there's still life after the morning practice? Or do you want an isolated place with no power at night? Name it, we have it.

Welcome to Yoga in the Philippines.

Our feature place for today is Lake Sebu.

Named as the Summer Capital of South Cotabato, Lake Sebu is home to the T'boli tribe. Sadly however, with the denudatation of the surrounding forests much of the beauty that Lake Sebu was 15 or so years ago when I first visited the place has vanished. Still there is something to offer for someone adventurous enough to venture into its remote areas. Situated almost 3000 feet above sea level, the climate is cool and the air is still fresh. Occassionally, one can still see T'boli women wearing their traditional attire. The traditional weaving of the t'nalak (fabric made of abaca fiber)is still around. But what makes people still go and visit Lake Sebu is the flavor of the fresh tilapia, caught from the lake to the grill, the taste is almost heavenly.

How to get there

With the concreting of the road leading up to Lake Sebu, it is now very easy to visit the place. Gone were those days when it took almost four hours over dirt roads and rivers that overflow during the rainy season, now it's less than 30 minutes.

From the capital city of Koronadal, one passes thru the towns of Banga and Surallah. Just a little farther from the poblacion of Surallah is a junction to the left going to the town of T'boli and a little farther is another junction to the left going to Lake Sebu.

Waypoint narrative by: madzie_ph 2002

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Ok, I'm still wide awake but the mind is already in dreamland. Time to go to bed. Maybe when I wake up tomorrow, all of these will come true.

Goodnight.

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.

Boracay

Photos by Alric Mondragon

Alric is an alumnus of the UP Varsity Pep Squad and is now studying medicine at UP PGH. The team goes to Boracay every summer for fun, games and team building.

Here's the ABS-CBN Summer 2008 Station featuring the ABS-CBN Kapamilya Stars, the UP Pep Squad and many more.

Sarangani's Munato Festival

Why am I posting this? Hmnnn... maybe because I want to visit Sarangani one of these days. I grew up in Koronadal, South Cotabato, and Sarangani is just a couple of hours away from there. I've been to that area only once in high school during a scouting trip.

Yoga, Diet and Philippine Tourism

Balut Island Hot Spring, Sarangani Province

When I posted the video on Carabao Island in Romblon, Jane asked me what is it doing in my yoga food blog? I told her that this blog started out as a way to chronicle my diet and how it is affecting my practice and day-to-day living, then slowly another idea came up, "why not promote the Philippines as well?" So I guess this blog is really about yoga, moderate eating and Philippine Tourism.

I've been convincing M to visit the Philippines the next time she's in Southeast Asia and "bombarding" her with photos and websites of beautiful white sand beaches in the Philippines. Hopefully, with Bela's retreat center in Samar, more adventurous beach-loving Ashtangis will come and visit the Philippines.

Our government sucks and we don't have beautiful airports such as those in Thailand but we have equally stunning beaches. As one of the Philippine tourism ads says, "If you don't like this one (referring to Boracay Island), we have 7000 more to choose from."