2013 ADVENTURES: HITS AND GLITCHES

For every adventures, having bad experiences is inevitable. But  these not- so- good -things that suddenly come along the way would  sometimes make the adventure more memorable. My adventures for the year 2013  is a combination of both hits and some glitches.

HITS: I would call this  as "Southern Hits" , why?
First, I was able to venture to the southern part of Italy specifically the Sicilian Region. This was a big hit because it was an all expense paid trip. All I did was to take  photos and research the tourists spots in   each of the the following  cities/towns of:
1. Palermo
2. Monreal
3. Siracusa
4. Cefalu
5. Mondella
6. Messina

Cefalu

Second reason why I said " Southern Hits" is that I had finally scratched off from my bucket list the following South East Asia countries.


1. Cambodia
2. Vietnam
3. Hongkong
4. Macau


The lists will not be complete without mentioning  of course, the Philippines. I  always look forward in coming back to my home country and discover other places I haven't seen yet. My Sagada adventure was one for the books. I met new friends  and together we explored the town, chased waterfalls and got wet and dirty in the cave connection /spelunking.

new found friends in Sagada

A visit to the country also means "reunion". I saw some of my former office mates. Seeing them means, laughter, food, unending stories, more laughter and more food. I was reunited with my   P.A.U.L.S. group - a group I formed with my former high school batch mates and friends with the main objective of helping the indigent students in Ilocos Sur. This is actually a double purpose activity because we get to help less fortunate persons and we also get to see and be  reunited with our high school classmates.

Cu Chi Tunnel

It was in Vigan where I met a co-blogger  for the very first time, it's non other than the Town Explorer, Edmar Guquib. It was a joy to meet him, I was hoping to explore neighboring towns  with him but our schedule just won't fit in.

GLITCH: this  happens all the time. Sometimes it is during in the most unexpected place and time.  My trip to the summer capital of the Philippines, Baguio City, was the scariest. I was almost electrocuted in a hostel's bathroom.  Read the full story on my misadventures at Baden Powell Inn.

Baguio Cathedral

Another glitch, Backlogs! For some reasons I was not yet able to write any   piece on my trips to the Sicilian towns\cities I mentioned above. Also not  a single post yet for Cambodia, Vietnam, Hongkong and Macau save for the Pandanus resort I wrote for the Pinoy Travel Blog Carnival for the month of October.

Year 2013 for me is really an adventure with all the twists and turns.  As the Year of the Snake is about to end I am  making a promise to get myself back to writing and cover all my backlogs and travel more, of course.

This is my entry to the Pinoy Travel Blogger's Blog Carnival for the month of December with the theme The Pinoy Travel Bloggers Closing the Curtains on 2013: Love, Learn and Living hosted by Brenna Bustamante of Philippine Travelogue

BANAUE: THE LAND OF THE RICE TERRACES

It was not my plan neither my travel buddies' but because  the bond we created in Sagada seems very hard to break we all decided to travel to Banaue in the province of Ifugao to accompany our two companions.

 The town is very famous for its Rice Terraces.  It is even printed at the back of the Philippine twenty peso bill. This Rice Terraces were built   some two thousand(2000) years ago by the indigenous people  using only their farm tools and hands , they were able to make rice paddies on  the mountains.

OUR LADY OF ATONEMENT

The pink-facade-Cathedral  in Baguio City is one of the many must visits in the city. It was constructed way back in 1920 and completed sixteen years later.

 

The Cathedral otherwise known as Our Lady of Atonement can be reach via a hundred steps stone staircases  from the City's popular  street, Session Road.  Another way is without climbing the vertigo stairs is by the access road near the post office building.

Aside from the three front doors, devotees and visitors may enter at the doors located on each sides. Holy masses are celebrated in two languages namely: English, Tagalog and also in Ilocano dialect.

 

 

 

During the World War II, it did not only serve as a place of worship but also a place of refuge. Thousands of evacuees were relocated here but some of them perished due to bombing. Their remains was subsequently interred within the  Cathedral's grounds. 

One distinct feature of the cathedral aside form its color is the rose window also known as Catherine window and twin spires.  A rose window is a circular window that are usually found in Gothic architectural style churches.  In front of the sacred building is a large courtyard. Some parts are covered with benches. On one side is a mini park  featuring miniature local houses. Further down is a statue of Jesus on the Cross. 

 

 

 

This Roman Catholic Cathedral is easily the most visited  and photographed church and tourist spot  in Baguio, one reason maybe because of its location. It is just right above the famous Session Road, near the public market and bus terminal and some tourists spots.