Stunning Beauty of Bon Bon Beach in Romblon

One of my bucket list is to explore Romblon Island as it is our province capital. Being an island it has a lot of beautiful things waiting to be explored and experienced by the tourist. Since my brother works in a shipping company we have the privilege to travel by ship for free! So my two brothers and I visited this unseen beauty of Romblon. As we take off the ship and leave the port a big ROMBLON sign carved from marbles meet our eyes. Mesmerized with its beauty we spent time taking pictures and selfies on that place. While doing so, my brother borrowed motorcycle from his colleague so we could travel the whole island. And our first destination, Bon Bon beach!

source: backpackingpilipinas

Bon Bon beach is quite far from the port and the center of the island but the ride is worth it. It is a virgin place with no cottages being installed and is not crowded. I remember the time we got there, we are the only people in the place. It is like we own the whole place. We can only hear the wind blowing, the water rolling and some birds singing. Truly a perfect pace to relax. Since there is no cottages here, we look for the shady part of the shore and place our things and set a little picnic for ourselves.

During low tides, the sand bar can be seen from afar making a beautiful way from the beach to the separated island. Sparkling crystal clear sea water, fine sand, blue sky and fluffy clouds are part of the scenery. Some activities you can do here is swimming, camping and snorkeling. The water is so clear that you can see the sea creatures and corals.

To get here, look from shipping company that docks their ships at Romblon port. From the port, you can ask the locals to drop you at the Bon Bon beach or you can rent motorcycle if you know how to drive so that you can tour also on the other part of the island. The fare cost range from 50php – 100 php only.

There you go, a simple but beautiful place to visit, relax and unwind! 

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Monasterio de Tarlac,Tarlac's Mountain Top Monastery

Have you ever visited a monastery on top of a mountain? How about seeing a relic of the True Cross? Or even taking a photo under the huge statue of Jesus Christ?  Well, this could be an awesome adventure and that could only be in Monasterio de Tarlac.

Monasterio de Tarlac is not the old monastery as you might expect. The construction was just concluded by the year 2000. And in every year's visit, the monastery has always have new places developed.

The 30 ft Statue of the Risen Christ on top of the mountain is gaining a popular attraction not only to religious people but also to many. The ground to where the statue is located is covered with flowers, making it look lovely and close to nature. From the top of the
mountain, you can feel the solemn ambiance, with the cold breeze of air. A very majestic feeling.

Aside from the colossal statue, the relic of the True Cross is enshrined inside the monastery chapel. The story goes when St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great was in search of the Cross. Under the Calvary Hill, Jerusalem, she found 3 crosses. Not sure which one of
the three was Jesus', so she sent a dying woman to touch all the crosses. The cross that revived the woman from her condition was declared the True Cross. The cross was passed from one hand to another, generation to generation, split up to smaller pieces. Gratefully, in 2007, a splinter of that cross was sent from Germany to Philippines and then it was enshrined at the baroque chapel of the monastery. The relic is said to be miraculous.

There are still more places you can visit around and near the monastery. One of that is the disney-like construction on the other part of the monastery with designs that resemble towers and castles.That is located at the 20 hectare Tarlac Eco-Tourism Park. So the kids and the kids-at-heart will enjoy the tour.

Community mass are also conducted every day: 6:00 am for weekdays and 10:30 am for weekends. So if you want to attend the mass, be sure to take note of the schedule.

The monastery is situated on top of the Mount Resurrection which is part of the Zambales Mountain Range in brgy. Lubigan, San Jose, province of Tarlac.  There is an entrance fee of 50 pesos. If you wish to get to the Monasterio, ride a bus going to Tarlac then alight to
the Siesta Bus Stop in Tarlac. Ride a tricycle to the Jeepney Terminal going to San Jose, Tarlac. From there, you can rent a jeepney to Monasterio.  Or you can travel via car. From Manila, take NLEX to SCTEX exiting at Hacienda Luisita. Take McArthur Highway to Tarlac
City then turn left just after Sogo Hotel and before SM. Follow the road leading to Brgy Tibag Junction. You can see signages going to Monasterio de Tarlac. For people from North, head to Tarlac City to Uniwide Mall. Follow the service Road and turn right to Carangian
Bridge. From there, you will see markers leading to monastery. The roads are well paved but it will take about 2 or 2 and half of travel going to the mountain top.

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Why people keep coming back to Stone 8 Resort? Find out why!

The province of Nueva Ecija is known for its vast fields, thus tagged as the Food Bowl and Rice Granary of Central Luzon. In this province, agriculture is the primary industry. Most farmers plants rice, corn, onion, garlic, melon and mango. But there are still more interesting
places about the province other than its popular plains and products. It also has the best places to go to during summer.

Speaking of summer, isn't it just the season of the year that many people want to go swimming? And that will be satisfied in one of the resorts in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija. With the refreshingly cold water, you can never say no to this place. Add the fresh breeze of air and the green scenery, such a relaxing place to spend your weekend with
family or friends.

Whether you want to go on mountain hiking, swimming or just wanting to relax on a fresh new environment, Stone 8 can give you options to enjoy your day.

(1) Mountain Hiking- The trail includes crossing the clear water,climbing up on man made stairs with 808 steps, that leads to the foot of the mountain. The view from there is enticing, as you can see the plains, the trees and the mountains.

(2) Swimming - The free flowing water comes from the mountain that is why the water on the pools is fresh, clear and absolutely cold. Very refreshing!

The resort also offers tables, cottages and even rooms and buildings. Price ranges from 300 to 650 pesos for tables, 500 to 2300 pesos for cottages, 2200 to 3650 pesos for rooms and 10,000 to 15,000 pesos for buildings.

The Entrance fee is 40 pesos per head but they also offer it for free for people celebrating their birthday and for children under 2 years old. They are open every day, all year round. If you plan to go there and you are coming from Manila, ride the bus going to Cabanatuan
Terminal. It is advisable to take the bus with SCTEX route because the travel time is less compared to bus with NLEX route. From the terminal, take a van going to Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija. It will take almost 2 to 2 and half hours before you reach the resort.

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Minalungao National Park -The Hidden Gem of Nueva Ecija

Minalungao National Park is now becoming one of the top eco-tourist destinations in Nueva Ecija. With its emerald cold water especially during summertime, and the meter high karst formations, nature lovers will surely be enchanted by the beauty of this place. This is also a place, where you can relax your body and mind from the busy city, with its beautiful and breath taking natural sceneries.

There are variety of things to do in Minalungao National Park. Many outdoor activities have been designed to promote the tourism in the area and also for the tourist to enjoy their precious time.

source: outoftownblog

(1) Bamboo Rafting - First on the list is bamboo rafting. Bamboo rafts (or balsa in vernacular) can be rented from 500 to 800 pesos depending on its size. It is for one day, so you can enjoy bamboo rafting for one whole day thru Peñaranda River flanked by limestone cliffs. There are also floating Nipa Hut available for rent if you want to eat above the river.

(2) Cliff Diving - This is offered for free but be careful on choosing  the cliff to dive. There may be waters with deep and shallow part. So it is highly advised to ask your tour guide for the best site for cliff diving.

(3) Trekking/hiking - You can try going to the Grotto with the huge tiled Cross. The trek includes crossing the hanging bridge and climbing the cemented stairs with 1000 steps. It will take about an hour to reach the summit where the cross is located. Cave exploration can also be fun. With the tour guide, you can visit inside the caves with the glimmering stalactites and stalagmites. Another thing to expect inside the cave is that there are a small number of bats living inside it.

(4) Zipline - The zipline costs 150 pesos(two-way). It is a worth to try to experience the breath taking view from above.

(5) Swimming - And lastly, swimming though for free is just one good experience to try in the cold and refreshing water of the Peñaranda river.

 Situated at the foothills of Sierra Madre Mountain Range, Minalungao National park is about 4 hours north of Manila. If you are coming from Manila, ride a bus bound to Cabanatuan City and get off to Bucana, Gapan City. From Gapan City, you can ride the jeepney going to General Tinio. Then hire a tricycle to get you to Minalungao National Park. Fare is about 50 pesos per head. Or you can also hire a tricycle directly from Gapan City to Minalungao National Park. This may amount from 500 to 600 pesos and will take up to 1 and a half  hours of travel to reach the park. 

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3 Reasons why you have to visit Underground River Palawan Philippines

If you are a traveler who loves to explore the world you should know what are the places that belongs to 7 wonders of the world. This destination are incredibly amazing, most visited and one of the top list tourist destination in the world. One of the the 7 wonders of the world that can be found in Philippines is "Under Ground River Palawan". It made the name Palawan in the forefront of tourism. The unique natural made structure, where the subterranean river that runs flows under solid caves that produces stunning stalactites and stalagmites.

Source: Tripadvisor

If your wish to spend the rest of your vacation, never missed this place. People considered "Underground River" as the number one in their Bucket list, except to those who are been there already. Because of its popularity, you have to set aside budget for this one. Indeed, it helps the tourism grow and provide security and safety access to the destination.

Source: Tripadvisor

Why you have to visit Underground River Palawan?

Below are the top 5 reasons to consider why you need to visit this place and spent your summer vacation with your family and love one.

1. Its popular and one of the 7 wonders of the world - Magazine, Radio ads, Tv channels that is related to travel featuring this place. It is one of the 7 wonders of the world that the Filipino can be proud of. Because it is belong to 7 wonders of the world, visiting this place is another history of your life. Its a challenging adventure and experiencing the thrill while exploring the river under the caves.

2. It not just the Under Ground River - Palawan is a tropical place that most of the tourist from outside the country spend their time experiencing the best climate and best destination to relax. Its not just the Under Ground River that lure people to come, Palawan is place where you can find amazing and stunning beauty of nature, white beaches, beautiful structure of nature and a lot more to do for your summer vacation.

3. Longest Navigable underground river in the world - Its undeniably this place is amazing, it is created by God to for everyone. The only river in the world under the ground that you can explore riding in a boat. Not just an hour but its more than that, you can see the beauty lies within that cave. The underground river is coolest things in earth that you would experience.

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Laguna Twin Lakes- Lake Pandin and Yambo

Being one of the seven famous lakes in San Pablo, Laguna, Lake Pandin and Yambo is famous for its history story. It was told that these two lake were named after two lovers. According to the legend that locals tell, a beautiful woman named Pandin was cursed not to step on the earth, otherwise, something terrible would befall her. Yambo, on the other hand is her ardent lover. He did not know about the curse and made her step on the earth. Telling Pandin that if she really loves Yambo she will do what he wants. After stepping on the earth, a terrible noise is heard followed by cracking grumble of the earth and a heavy downpour eventually turn the area into twin lakes separated from each other by a bare strip of land.

http://xplorerboyz.blogspot.com

Lake Pandin being the most pristine among the seven lakes found in Laguna offers tourist a memorable experience of having lunch in its floating restaurant and swimming on its cold deep green water. Once arrived in the area, you can feel the fresh cool air from the lake and see a beautiful scenery of mountains, small houses and colorful bamboo raft design by the locals.

Lake Yambo on the other hand can only be seen by tourist and totally experience it. From Lake Pandin, our tour guide led us on a trek to the mountain that separates it from Lake Yambo. From the top you can witness it clean waters which is used by locals for their seafood livelihood.

To get here, ride a bus bound to Lucena and tell the driver or conductor to drop you at SM San Pablo then ride a jeepney to San Pablo proper. Walk from the final stop inside the public market to 7/11 located near the church and ride a jeepney going to Ilog. Drop by at Bry. Sto. Angel, just in front of the entrance to Pandin Lake. You would easily notice this because it bears a sign PANDIN LAKE in bold huge letters. You can choose to have a local guide or not. The guides are usually kids, so if you want to help them save some for their “baon” in school you can let them assist you. Enjoy your history and swimming experience in this beautiful place near the metro!

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Famous Museum in Philippines- Pinto Art Museum

In Manila this places is considered as one of the trendiest place to go, people who love this places share their best experiences and good memories at Pinto Art Museum.

“Pinto” is a Filipino word for door. Located inside a private subdivision in Antipolo pinto art museum is literally a place where you can find a lot of doors. A gateway that would let you see the modern and contemporary arts.  This place has a strategic location overlooking the mountains of Rizal. With its Mediterranean- inspired villas surrounded by nature, it’s a perfect spot for nature lover who loves museum and art works too.The tour around this place is a visual treat. Its aged doors, quirky art pieces and beautiful windows are just one of the beautiful things you can find as roam around. Every corner is picture perfect. Even if you only have your phone camera, you cannot have a bad photo as the place itself is photogenic.

Source: http://ruffeecola.blogspot.com

Entrance fee costs 100 php for students, 180 php for PWD/ elderly and 200 php for adults. Students should present there valid ID’s while entering to get discounts. This is open from 9:00 am – 6:00pm Tuesday through Sunday. Once you’re done with your payment you can leave some of your belongings in the counter for ease of exploring the area. They will also give you a map of the place so you would know where to explore first and to make sure that you don’t get lost as you roam around. Upon entering the place you can see a parrot who doesn’t talk. I don’t know maybe he just doesn’t like to talk to me. A small swimming pool can also be seen near the entrance. It is surrounded with trees and classic chairs where you can stay for a while and relax.

Don’t worry if you’re tired roaming around each section of place because there’s a comfy bed located under the trees. You can sit or lay there if you want.

To experience this kind of nature plus art museum thing, just follow these simple steps:

1.       Take LRT Line 2 and get off at Santolan Station

2.       Take a jeepney or FX bound for Antipolo, Tanay or Teresa

3.       Get off at Ynares Center

4.       Ride a tricycle and ask the driver to drop you at Grand Heights Subdivision (some drivers are not familiar with Pinto Art Museum)

There you go, enjoy your museum tour and experience with nature!

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