Paradise on Earth

I’m back in China and I have time to blog again. Back home, I was swamped with backlog at work and my schedule was just chaotic. I had a few days off from work though when I went to Boracay for a short vacay. Stayed at Shangri-la’s Boracay Resort & Spa. And true to it’s name, I did go to a faraway haven of idyllic beauty and tranquility. Truly a paradise on Earth. God has been so good to me for all the blessings I’ve been receiving and favors I’ve been getting even from people I don’t really know. God rocks! =)

 Doesn’t this look like paradise on Earth? 
This was the view from my room. Click photo to enlarge.

Looking at that photo and reminiscing my experiences there, I can’t help but be in awe of God’s love for me in spite of all the painful experiences I’ve gone through in life. I know in my heart and in my spirit that God hasn’t forgotten me yet. He is mindful of me.

 Anton, me, Io & May

My friends and I on board Shangri-la speed boat that brought us to the island.

Enjoying the sun with my shopping buddy, Anton.

 Enjoying the water with friends

  Fun!!!

These things were results of my hard work and God’s favor last 2010. I wouldn’t have achieved all these without God’s help. He was not just my provider. He’s also my cheerleader. I couldn’t thank the Lord enough for everything He’s done.

  30th Macaulay Club Marketing Congress

 30th Macaulay Club Awards Ceremony at One Esplanade.

I believe that this is just the beginning of all the beautiful things that will be happening in this season of my life. There's so much more to come, and I'm praising God in advance for them.


Thank you, God, for making me happy. =)

White Water Rafting Adventure-Day 2

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Breakfast at 6:30 a.m. We got our stuff in the jeepney for a two and a half ride to Pasil, Kalinga, our put-in point (river access where a trip begins).

We made a stop over to stretch a bit.

 

We geared up and some safety briefing by Argel took place along with the inflating of the rubber boats and organizing other river equipment by the river crews before heading off to the water.

 

We had two rubber boats.  I was on the second boat.  Two trained professional river guides headed the rafting team. On the first boat was Argel and on our boat was Anton Carag.  Then half way along we changed boats. Argel now with us and Anton on the other boat.

  

Here's the first boat.  Forward paddle!  Back paddle!  Haha!

Here's our boat.  Woohoo! Left back!  Right back!

After four hours on the rubber boat, paddling, we made a stop over at a waterfall where we drank fresh water and rested. 

Towards the end of our white water rafting adventure, some of us jumped off the boat to enjoy the water.  It was so hot and the cold water felt so good on the skin.  Whew!

See that thing in the water floating at the back?  That's me! Haha! In front of me was May. The water was I think more than 10 feet deep here.  I couldn't care less.

Argel pulled me up from the water and got me in the boat again when the rapids were nearing.  The truth is I could have stayed in the water but I chickened out.

On the take-out (river access where a trip ends), we had our last photo shoot before heading back to Casa Carag.  What a fun day it was!

 

We were all tired.  Very tired!  But happy...

Until my mood suddenly changed.  A thought just came to my mind, plus I wasn't feeling okay physically, that made me want to burst in tears.  But no, I didn't cry.  The photos just captured it.  It was written all over my face.

 

 

Back at Casa Carag, I took a quick shower.  Prayed and asked God to help me overcome the weird emotion I was having.  God did give me a word and a vivid vision that went along with it.  The enemy was quick to steal my joy, but God was faster to counter the enemy.  Thank God!

The following day, woke up at 6 a.m. for another yummy breakfast, packed our bags and off to the airport to catch the flight back to Manila.  

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful experience.  Looking forward to our next adventure.

Kayaking Adventure-Day 1

Kayaking Adventure-Day 1

Monday, October 4, 2010, Manila Airport

From L to R: May, Shirleen, Darwin, me, Anton, Cymbee & Christine

Tuguegarao Airport

We arrived at Tuguegarao at around 9:20 a.m via Air Philippines. We were fetched at the airport by Anton Carag, our notable host, and went straight to Casa Carag for a sumptuous breakfast.

Breakfast at Casa Carag
From L to R: Me, Darwin, Anton Carag, Shirleen, Anton, May & Cymbee

It was my first time in Tuguegarao and one thing I noticed, the sun seem to shine the hardest on this part of the Philippines.  Can't live without my sunscreen!

Jeepney ride to Peñablanca

We unpacked and changed to our swimwear, ready for our kayak adventure. We rode a private jeepney for a 30 minute trip to Peñablanca.  We had kayaking basics by Argel Gerale at the Pinacanauan (meaning "left-most") River, a tributary of the great Cagayan River in Cagayan Valley.

Before boarding a motor boat to Pinacanauan River

On our way to Pinacanauan River

With May

...And Cymbee

Among us, there were three who were first timers --- Cymbee, Shirleen and me.  The water was really deep and we were terrified at first. And although we were wearing life jackets, I can't seem to trust the jacket to make me stay afloat.  Well... it took me only about 5 minutes though to get used to the water. After which, I was already having a great time.

Love the water!

Argel teaching us the basics of kayaking

Learning what to do when I fall off the kayak.

Not easy!

After the kayaking basics, we had barbecue lunch by the river.

By the way, I had to re-apply sunscreen every time I had the chance to and this time was one of them.  Ha!

We rode a motorized banca (boat) upstream, warm up a little to get ready to run our own kayaks down river to Callao.  

Ready!!!

Our kayaking adventure began.

Practicing...

Here I go...

Taking a break...

Argel showed us a baby crab.

Getting ready again...

Made it to the finish line.  Yey!

I was removing sand from my aqua shoes... hehe.

After over three hours of kayaking, we packed our stuff, rode the motorized banca once again to watch the circadian flight of bats.

See that hole on the right? That's where the bats were.

We waited till about 6 p.m. and there they were, millions of bats (yes, millions) coming out the cave. 15 minutes non stop! Stinky smell of bat droppings (guano) was all over the place.

See those trails?  Those were bats.

After about 20 minutes, we headed back to Casa Carag.  We were all tired and I can't wait to take a shower.

My muscles felt sore from hours of paddling.  Had a massage after a late dinner and headed off to slumberland.  Zzz...

White Water Rafting Adventure-Day 2