March 2012

An awesome but scary thing happened at the Mt. Pinatubo crater on the day we trekked.

One area of the gigantic walls surrounding the turquoise blue water sort of 'erupted,' creating a thundering sound and sending massive dust and smoke up in the air.  I'm not sure if it's a normal occurrence in the site but it scared the hell out of me.

True, you can hurt yourself while riding on one of those 4x4's. These little monsters run, gallop, trump like crazy over rough terrain of dust, gravel and rocks - basically not minding any hurdle. With mad drivers intent on giving their passengers a 'fun' experience, the ride can turn into a dangerous exhibition. Not for the faint of heart, I tell you. But as long as you buckle up (no seat belts, just on hold to the bar real tight), you'll be safe. The possible worst thing that can happen to you is bump your head or butt against the hard metal and that's just a little price to pay because you don't really get to experience riding on a 4x4 that often.

Our intuition was right - this was going to be a great day. No dark clouds looming over the horizon, temperature was high, the humid air smelled of salt. We could tell that the sun was trying its best to emerge from the cottony mid-day mist. The waves however were a bit rough making the ferry sway a little violently as it's parked in the wharf of Balingoan. 
Normally, seeing angry waves slapping against the shore makes me worried sick but I found comfort in the size of the boat we boarded on. Well, it's not that big, but the fact that sail time wouldn't take 2 hours was enough to calm me down. And the sight of life jackets was pretty much reassuring too. I don't remember how long the ferry stayed docked, I'm sure it didn't take too long. I also don't recall feeling bored at all. I guess it's because I was busy conversing with my travel buddies. That's one good thing about traveling with friends - there are hardly boring moments, unless of course your friends are a buzzkill. Ross and Erpe are anything but. As the boat sailed on, we plucked topics from the air and discussed them enthusiastically while nibbling on a pack of sweet peanuts oddly bagged inside a plastic container that had a name of juice brand on it.  

*Young Blood Traveler Roby Magsino confesses that he's just a regular guy who tries to travel as much as his budget allows. He takes a lot of pictures, tries out local food and soaks up the culture of that place. A true blue traveler, he gets completely depressed when he doesn't get to travel so he always makes it to a point to regularly pack up and wander about, regardless how far or near it may be. 

How to pet a tiger

How he discovered his love for travel
My sister and her then-boyfriend traveled together a lot and it was something I admired. So my girlfriend and I replicated it and vowed to travel at least one domestic and one international destination a year. After going through a messy breakup, I needed something that I will "own", anything that will allow me to re-establish a foothold of my identity. Traveling became my therapy and it stuck eversince.

[Balingoan Port, on a balmy morning]

The previous night's weather report on TV was kind of depressing so we braced ourselves for the worst. Surprisingly, the sun was out and there was barely any cloud in the sky. Whoever said that this part of the country (Southern Mindanao) usually gets spared from typhoons was partly right. While most areas in Luzon and the middle parts of Visayas took the beating, the sun happily shone on Cagayan de Oro and its neighboring island Camiguin during the entire duration of our stay.

Much has been said about the enchanting beauty of Camiguin, a small island north of Mindanao. It was romanticized in the local film "Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin" and was featured with slight irreverence in the horror flick "Quija Board."  Regardless of how it's depicted in the movies, its unique charm can hardly go unnoticed.
Considered as an off-the-beaten-path destination especially by foreign travelers, Camiguin is diminutive in size, (the smallest province both in population and land area after Batanes) but it absolutely doesn't reflect the richness it has to offer. Here, you will find seven volcanoes ( most of them are active), scenic waterfalls, hot springs, church ruins, a sunken cemetery and friendly locals. With such attractions scattered around the island, anyone who's looking for adventure will not be disappointed. Whether it's lazying on the beach, trekking the rainforest, trying out local cuisine, Camiguin can be an ideal spot for respite and quality vacation.  

"No, you stay here," my sister told me with conviction and annoyance as she and my other sibling were preparing to leave. They're going off somewhere - perhaps to a nearby town,  they wouldn't tell me. It was summer, I was about 7 or 8 years old, small but perfectly healthy. No reason they shouldn't take me with them.

"Why can't I go with you?" I asked, a bit teary-eyed.

"We'll be back soon and you puke on the road anyway," she said, dropping off the subject with a truth that left me whipped, figuratively. Even if I wailed and cried and pleaded, I knew my sister wouldn't budge. I couldn't blame her -  taking a liability on the road was no fun. Similarly, cleansing one's mess could make traveling a nightmare.

Throwing up on jeepneys was and still is a common trend among kids in the village. It's a curse that I wanted desperately to get rid of but to no avail. The ointments (Vicks Vapor Rub, mint leaves) that were supposed to cure motion sickness hardly helped. I didn't understand it - I could handle tricycle ride just fine, but how come my stomach did a wild somersault every time I rode on a jeepney? It was a mystery I couldn't resolve.

The fact that I threw up on the road pretty much solidified my belief that I had no business going to places that required riding on a mass transportation. But my folks understood my weakness and stubborn as a mule, I never let my 'little personal problem' get in the way as far as traveling was concerned.