row, row, row your boat

CRC Philippine Rowing Team at Far East Asian Rowing Assn Regatta 1992

Revisited college crew days by taking up rowing again at the Manila Boat Club in Sta. Ana, Manila.

Yes, I row on the Pasig River and No, it is not as polluted as people believe after former first Lady, Ming Ramos' Pasig clean-up project.

Having torn my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament) - both on my right knee, I had to find a low-impact sport to keep me fit.

People always tend to mistake Crew / Olympic rowing for Dragon Boat rowing - the more popular sport in Asia.

What people don't know is that the balance and technique involved in crew is quite difficult to master or else you end up falling into the Pasig River (which has happened to me a couple of times already when I first started rowing).

Single Sculling, is what I have been doing mostly these days as it is hard to find rowing partners to wake up at the crack of dawn to go rowing on the river.

Break of dawn

ExPat Team on the Quad Scull

More of Panglao in Pictures

Alona Beach

                                                         
      Days in Alona were also spent checking out nearby attractions aside from sunbathing at the beach and hanging out at local haunts with friends.

Bohol Bee Farm is one of those places not many people hear about...it is a self-sustaining resort of sorts that has organic food products, rustic but quaint accommodations as well as spectacular coastal views.

Art Cafe at Charts Resort as a great place to laze around to escape the heat where they serve iced coffee and pastries among other specialties.

Grass roof cafe was closed for renovation but will definitely check it out the next time am in Alona.

Home Sweet Home in Alona - my 2 storey, 1 Bdr apartment a couple of kilometres from Alona beach.

                Breakfast was always here at rendezvous as well as most meals of the day hahaha.

                                                        Till next time...off to go diving...

North to South of Cebu

After my Bohol escapades, I was invited to Madredejos in Bantayan to conduct a film workshop for some multimedia aspiring editors on the Island.

A few days in Bantayan made me forget civilization as I knew it.  It was as if I was taken 20 years back where the locals used surplus fixed gear bicycles from post WW2.  I remember being at the cross street in the middle of town and everybody had fixies.

Kota Park Beach resort, where I was the only guest, had an old Spanish fort and museum right on the property.

View from Kota Park Beach resort

Sunrise by the Fishing Village, Madredejos

Marlin Beach, Santa Fe

Santa Fe Beach Front

After leaving Bantayan, headed to San Remegio (still in the Northern part of Cebu) with friends Marnie and Beth.

Not so many pictures as we chose to just chill in our nice room on the water most of the time.

San Remegio Sunrise

Roadside Ukay-Ukay

                                                   
         
After San Remegio and dropping friends Marnie and Beth back to the city.  Decided to meet up with another close friend of mine - Jelly and head down to Moalboal for a day trip.

Met Jelly in Ronda where we had lunch and Kasadya beach - another off the beaten path type of place at one of the locals' houses on the beach.  The weather was perfect and we had a sumptuous meal of grilled seafood and some local Filipino delicacies.

Jelly and I then proceeded to Moalboal which has been my escape for over 20years and home divesite where we capped the day getting massages and lounging by the pool.

             

Bohol is Home to me

Bohol is Home to me...

For the summer, or at least the latter part of the dry season, I was in Bohol 5 times in 4 months.

It started out as a spontaneous trip to visit friends who lived on the island and kept going back after that.

                                                                Alona Sunrise

From dive trips, to DJ gigs at Pinarella, to tours to the chocolate hills, tarsier reserve, and what not...Bohol is where I am definitely going to move to by next year....

Already have an apartment prepared and am able to survive on the low cost of living and divemaster gigs.

Will write more about my Bohol stories as they unfold in my mind (as it was mostly a blur).

Let the pictures tell the stories for now.

End of Summer had me visiting Rhea and Nina in Bohol and met Laurice and her siblings on the island.

                                                                  Amorita Sunset

                     Couchsurfer and first time dive student Julia  and long time friend Marnie with
                                                              Simone at Pinarella.

With Winnie (far left), my peppy Couchsurfer and slackliner friend, found me back in bohol after our Malapascua date with the Thresher sharks, then an Oslob adventure with the whale sharks, a brief moalboal dive. Beth and Marnie caught up with us for the tail end of this trip.

                              Chocolate Hills and Pink rental motorbike (TANGINA THIS!)

                                                                    Pinarella Boys

                   
                                                             Balicasag Island, Bohol

     
                                                                   DiveMaster Duties

1st Discover Scuba Student as DM

                                                                   Balicasag Lunch

                                                        The Usual Suspect sans Alvin

the lengths it took...

So if you look closely at the map, Panay - Boracay is just to the east of El Nido.  So the adventure junkie that I am decides to find a boat that goes from Taytay to Cuyo (the small group of islands in the middle of the map), then from Cuyo to Panay, and then to Boracay.  Where I was to meet my best friend and travel mate Beth who was going to Boracay for an office event.

My Oakley backpack tells the tale of my rainy motorbike ride on the back of my boatman's tiny motorcycle (KMX 125) through almost two (2) hours of muddy, unpaved roads, at breakneck speed.

The reason for this suicidal attempt on the motorbike  to catch a boat in Taytay was (1) I had missed the bus that leaves El Nido, (2) was hoping to catch a ferry going to Cuyo, (3) did not want to have to go to  Puerto Princesa to fly to Boracay, and (4) Beth was arriving in Boracay the next day.

So I get to Taytay, and the ferry left the day before.  A rinky-dink fishing vessel complete with chickens and pigs at the back had just arrived but the obviously hung over Captain wasn't sure when he would be leaving again.

So I end up going to Puerto Princesa anyway and end up catching a connecting flight that went through Manila and then to Boracay.  

When I get to Boracay, I am greeted by the numerous tourists at the ferry station, the ridiculous fees that you have to pay before getting to the island, the dirty markets when you actually land in Boracay before heading to white beach.

Finally caught up with Beth and it was 3 fun days and nights on the beach along with many of my old friends who I hadn't seen in ages after having lived on the island back in 1998.

                                                                     Beach Bum Life

                                                                       travel Buddies