Travel Footprints

Ultimate adventurer and famed mountaineer Romi Garduce gives a thumbs-up sign for the Roaming Ronos as we embark on our great trek over the Gokyo Valley (even if our goal of 5,483-m Gokyo Valley climb may be dwarfed with his 8,848-m feat summiting Mt. Everest in 2006).

According to juice.ph (cover story for March 2010 issue), Romi is the first Filipino to climb an 8000-meter peak, one of the first three Filipinos to summit Mt. Everest and the current Filipino record-holder in the quest to climb the world’s Seven Summits (he’s climbed six out of a total of eight peaks in two different lists).

More conveniently, he is working in the same company as Mr. Rono! So at least, we get first-hand advice and tips for Nepal travel (he gave us contacts of his sherpa during his climb!). We also get heads up on what to expect while doing a high-altitude climb in the Himalayan mountain range (altitude mountain sickness, especially!).

Truth be told, altitude mountain sickness is basically what scares me most with this climb because I know that it’s not the greatest feeling in the world. I had some sort of an experience on it while travelling in Ethiopia a few years back (Addis Ababa is located at an altitude of 8,300 feet and I spent hours on the toilet because I was always felt like I had to throw up – and I did a lot of times!). Romi said AMS really causes serious health problems, even for healthy travelers.

AMS or not, we’re still really psyched for this climb! Thanks Romi for inspiring us to see the real outdoors and may our spirit of adventure live on!

We’ve given it a whole lot of thought and it was finally decided that, despite the odds, we would still want to do the 16-day trekking package for Gokyo Valley Lodge Tour. The package came out way higher than originally quoted because there are only 3 of us left willing to do the tour (minimum of 8 persons required for the original quote). But what the heck! We only live once

In a nutshell, this is what we will mostly do while in Nepal as part of the package tour we got :

Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu (1,327-m.), meet and greet at airport and transfer to Thamel. Overnight hotel.

Day 2: Free day in Kathmandu to explore on your own while we prepare documents for your trek. Overnight hotel.

Day 3: Drive early morning to airport for short flight (35 min) from Kathmandu to Lukla (2,840-m). After arrangement of local porters, trek Lukla-Phakding (2,610-m) – 5 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 4: Trek Phakding – Namche Bazaar (3,440-m) – 6 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 5: Rest day for acclimatization in Namche/excursion to Syangboche (3,720-m), Everest View Hotel (3,859-m), Khumjung (3,780-m) and Khunde (3,840-m) & return to Namche – 5 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 6: Trek Namche-Dole (4,200-m) -  6½ hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 7: Trek Dole – Machhermo (4,410-m) – 4½ hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 8: Trek Machhermo – Gokyo (4,790-m.) - 4½ hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 9: Rest day/excursion to Gokyo Ri (5,483-m) & return to Gokyo – 5½ hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 10: Trek Gokyo – Thore (4,300-m) – 5 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 11: Trek Thore – Tengboch (3,860-m) – 5 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 12:  Trek Tengboche – Monjo (2,835-m.) via Namche – 7 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 13: Trek Monjo – Lukla (2,840-m) – 6 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 14: Fly (35 min) Lukla – Kathmandu, on arrival transfer to Thamel / Trek ends. Overnight hotel.

Day 15: Free day (buffer day in case the flight from Lukla cancels on schedule) in Kathmandu. Overnight hotel.

Day 16: Departure day/transfer to airport for onward flight.

We are arriving in Nepal early on for better acclimatization to the place before we fly to Lukla, the trailhead for the trekking trip. We were told that unlike others, say Canadian or European trekkers, Filipinos need more time to do a high-altitude climb because the sherpas (guides) always have to bring them back down to a certain level to avoid altitude mountain sickness (AMS). Here are some of the pictures from the travel agent :

Landing at Lukla Airfield (Short Take Off and Landing)

Mt. Everest (8,848-m.) from Gokyo Ri (5,483-m.)

Yak, Himalayan Oxen, used for transporting goods

We’re a bit apprehensive that we don’t get to complete the trek all the way to Gokyo Valley but we will damn well make sure we try our hardest

Last Saturday was an adrenaline-filled ride on my favorite biking trail called Killer Loop, one among the many wonderful bike trails in Bataan. In total, it took us about 6 hours and 4,000 calories to complete this 35kms loop!

Steep technical climbs, punctuated with spectacular views of Mt. Samat on one side and the South China Sea on the other, the trail definitely offers a great way to commune with nature while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

I’m so glad I have the Real Leaf Green Tea with me on this trail ride, it was a great reward after the ‘killer’ climbs and I was so looking forward to chugging it all down when we reached the top! It takes one bottle of Real Leaf Green Tea drink to recover energy during a pit stop of the grueling whole day bike ride in Killer Loop to be able to share a laugh with fellow bikers

Killer Loop consists of fast flowing technical descent especially along Joyce ‘trail’ that just plasters a smile over your face…

…or makes you want to jump for joy!!!

There was a whole lotta travelling for the Ronos this year! If it’s any indication, I managed to rack up about 20,000 miles in Philippine Airlines’ mileage program so it is fascinating to see how much of the Philippines and Asia we have covered just for this year.

Instead of blogging about the places one by one, which we obviously do not have the luxury of time for, we thought we would just dedicate our first entry for the year pinning the dots to the cities and countries we have visited for 2009 starting with our international travels –

1. Jakarta, Indonesia. Second time to visit the city, still amazed me at how they can actually pull off the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in their main thoroughfare while we in Manila can’t. Loved Hang Tuah Boutique Hotel and Cafe Batavia near the Kota (Museum) area which was very similar to our own Intramuros, Manila.

2. Hong Kong, PRC. Third time in Hong Kong and what I remember most is food, food, food - the Caribbean-themed restaurant Satay King around the Causeway Bay area and a wedding-themed restaurant called Palace near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

3. Macau, PRC. Second time in Macau but first time to see bee-a-utiful Venetian Hotel. Still loving Portugese-inspired food and managed to go up the 59th floor of the Macau Tower to eat yummy lunch at the 180 Degrees Restaurant with ice cream for dessert at the Observation Deck at the 57th floor. No bungee-jumping still, though!

4. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Second time in Vietnam. Made my way to Halong Bay on a tour package by myself with a bunch of European backpackers. A-ma-zing! Not at all surprised that it was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site. The caves of Halong Bay was being pitted against the Philippines’ Tubbataha Reefs for the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. Loving the environment around Hoan Kiem Lake and discovering hole-in-a-wall coffee shops. Shopping in Ho Chi Minh City is still a slice of heaven!

5. Bangkok, Thailand. Ninth time in Bangkok, had a wonderful time taking pictures of the city with my new Panasonic Lumix LX-3 while on a Chao Phrya River Cruise with dinner buffet. Still marvel with how Thailand’s progress has overtaken the Philippines in leaps and bounds. How do they do it and what happened to us? Sigh. Of course, still loving Thai food and shopping!

6. Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Penang Curry and rotti!!!! Yum! Went everywhere ‘touristy’ in Penang and Kuala Lumpur with the staple ‘I Was Here’ shot in Petronas Tower. Discovered a very cozy restaurant in Penang called Kafe Edelweiss, owned by a nice lady from Goa married to a Swiss. Kafe Edelweiss serves Emmenthaler (Swiss) Cheese fondue.

My domestic travels around the Philippines has been extremely hectic this year because I am doing consultancy work requiring me to travel nationwide for project monitoring and evaluation. We do have days where we can squeeze in a travel for a short vacation in-between work. Here goes our travel footprints in the Philippines for the year that was :

Benguet * La Union * Vigan, Ilocos Sur * Laoag, Ilocos Norte * Baguio * Sagada, Mt. Province * Tuguegarao, Cagayan * Aparri * Bataan * Tagaytay * Batangas * Clark * Puerto Princesa, Palawan * Calapan, Mindoro * Legazpi, Bicol * CamSur, Bicol * Iloilo * Bacolod, Negros Oriental * Cebu * Tacloban * Zamboanga * Davao * Butuan * Agusan del Norte * Sta. Rosa, Laguna * Bolinao, Pangasinan * Manaoag, Pangasinan * Gerona, Tarlac

These die-hard fans of Philippine travel LOVED these highlights for 2009 :

1. CamSur Watersports Complex in Bicol! We loved the yummy food and free wi-fi, the clean accommodations as well as the Winch Park where beginners like us can practice our wakeboarding style! It took us two attempts to get here (first was when our flight was cancelled due to a typhoon!)
2. Climbing Mt. Pinatubo and biking Lahar Valley in Pampanga. Anyone can do this as long as reasonably fit, like moi (Mrs. Rono). Oh, and of course, taking in the experience of a wildly bumpy 4×4 ride up to the trail head of Mt. Pinatubo was also memorable.
3. Surfing lessons in Bacnotan and San Juan, La Union for the first time (for Mr. Rono)
4. Biking in the mountains of Bataan to get to Quinaoan Point, a beachfront village where hungry bikers can eat and relax by the beach after the ride.
5. Staying at The Boutique in Tagaytay to celebrate our first wedding anniversary (yihee!) and staying in Fort Ilocandia while in Laoag, Ilocos Norte.
6. Travelling by bus for the first time from Manila to La Union and taking the 6-hour bus ride from Cagayan de Oro City to Butuan City (not my first time to do this latter though!)
7. Doing the Underground River cruise in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Breath-taking. WOW Philippines talaga!
8. Doing the Balatoc Mines Tour in Itogon, Benguet and be a miner for a day! Tour includes making visitors do the drilling and experience how it’s like to have dynamite blasting inside the tunnels. What a rush!
9. Experiencing a 5-6 magnitude earthquake while on travel in Butuan and Agusan del Norte last November. This was the same week when Mt. Mayon in Albay showed initial signs of aggression. Isn’t Philippine travel exciting?
10. Capping off the year 2009 in a pollution-free environment of Sagada, Mt. Province where we celebrated our New Year’s Eve in the company of family and friends with fantastic buffet dinner by French chef Aklay.

So what’s in store for the RoamingRonos for the year 2010? Oh, it’s going to be the honeymoon year for us so there are some plans that we hope will fall into place somehow especially one involving the highest mountain in the world! *cross fingers* We hope to do a better job at writing down our adventures in this website too (hehe!)

Cheers to 2010!

I have finally started decking the halls for the holidays! This is such a cliche but really, how time flies! We’re on the last month of the year and soon enough, it’s HELLO 2010! One of the things we will always remember for 2009 is the birth of www.roamingronos.com. This was supposed to be a place where Mr. Rono and I would keep tabs of the fond memories of our travel adventures and share the joys of exploration.

Ok, so I didn’t realize how difficult it was to maintain a blog until we created one. Revisiting the site, I realized our last entry was back in September 2009. Since then, I have been to two countries – Thailand and Malaysia. And, of course several provinces of the Philippines – Bacolod City, Butuan City and Agusan Province, Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, Tuguegarao City in Cagayan and San Juan, La Union for the last two months. Not to mention our bike adventures in La Mesa Park and Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

I promised myself I would put the amazing experiences of these travels into writing soon-ish! I’m so looking forward to the holiday break so we can sit down and reflect and put our happy thoughts into this blog. After all, ’tis the season to be jolly. And nothing makes us happier than our travel adventures

This is a post about things we don’t usually see while travelling through our airport terminals. Ever wondered how government VIPs are treated on their official travels? Well, last Friday i got a peek on how these VIPs find their way in the hustle and bustle of our airport thanks to a special pass issued to us by the Manila International Airport Authority –

In preparation for the arrival of 28 Ministers from 28 different countries for a big conference in PICC next week, the MIAA has gratefully allowed us a walk-through in the world of VIP-style travel. None of these long lines for our guests arriving next week –

I have had the experience of travelling by Business Class (especially via PAL) on several occasions so I was a bit familiar with the airport lounges and the facilities (and food!) guests can enjoy while waiting for flights. I was still thrilled to see these lounges that I never knew existed before Friday such as the Dignitaries Lounge in NAIA Terminal 1 –

the VIP Lounge in NAIA Terminal 1 –

and the Presidential Lounge in NAIA Terminal 2 –

As the name suggests, only the Philippine President and her entourage are allowed to use this lounge in the Centennial Airport. Our conference organizers had to request for a special permit to open this space for use of the dignitaries’ arrival and departure so I was glad to have the opportunity to see a glimpse of their world. The walk-through was quite informative. There were things I often see in the airport during my past travels but never really paid much attention until now. All I can say is, our VIPs really do travel in style!

And me and these guys will be there as it happens next week

The beach of Fort Ilocandia is apparently a public fishing area. After I wake up, I always stroll towards the beach for a morning walk and see a group of fishermen doing this –

I was told this activity is called ‘daklis’ in Ilokano where fishermen from the same village would go and set up their net along the coastline to gather fish. Typically, there should be a spotter before they would cast their net. Then, together they would haul the net to shore.

The next morning, I stayed around long enough for me to see them actually bring in some fish. After about 30 minutes of hauling and swimming, I saw this group bring in just 5 small fish to shore. Very sad scenario. I felt sorry for the fishermen and the small fish who will never get to grow bigger to spawn more fish. I was told they would still divide the meager ‘harvest’ among themselves so they need to re-cast the net and hope for a bigger share the next time around for a decent meal.

One thing’s for sure, there ain’t never be any million peso-dinner for this folks.

We’ve taken a bit of a hiatus writing in our blog so it was such an honor to come out of hibernation and find out that we were actually nominated for the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2009! Well, at least the July 28 entry of Janette Toral’s blog said that http://roamingronos.com was mentioned during the nomination process. Thank you thank you for this. We couldn’t be happier with this unexpected news!

If we were able to get hold of the news sooner, we could have participated more actively. But even if we were not a serious contender, we are very happy to be even part of it. Thumbs up to this great initiative Janette! And more power to you and the winning bloggers of 2009!

Mr. Roño and i attended a short travel writing workshop at Fully Booked in Boni High Street, Taguig City today. Organized by the Center for East Asian Languages, the session focused on some basic strategies for keeping a travel journal which we thought will be useful as we continue to populate our www.roamingronos.com with our travel adventures.

The session started with a simple lecture on dos and donts of travel writing and then we were assigned some independent work on writing about a ‘dream vacation.’ I didn’t have a particular destination in mind and found it more difficult to imagine a ‘fictional’ travel. So, I scribbled some notes about my last out of town trip. I’m sharing to you the article which was written for roughly 7 minutes before we had to break out into group discussion:

Braving ‘Typhoon Emong’ in Mimosa Leisure Estates

Aside from the lack of internet connection, being stuck in Mimosa due to a typhoon is pretty much like hanging out at home on a severe rainy day. It’s just a wee bit more expensive since it sets you back at around Php8,000 per night. But, we brought books and there’s a cable connection so we were kept abreast with the news. It turned out to be quite relaxing even if there was a big change of plans. If it wasn’t for the stormy weather, we could have done more outdoorsy stuff like swimming or golfing but hey, anything can happen when going out of town. Yes, including a typhoon.

First thing I thought when I saw the picture above: there’s a naked man in the screen!!! That’s no porn, though. We watched the Holywood Blockbuster X-Men Origins:Wolverine at the new Eastwood Mall and now I’m wondering whose hot body was that. But, never mind the movie – we loved it! – this entry is about the new Ultra 7 Cinema in Eastwood experience which starts in the lobby :

and the theater itself.

The Ultra 7 cinema seats only 40 people in very comfortable reclining chairs with waiters serving unlimited drinks and popcorn throughout the movie.

Eastwood Ultra 7 Cinema may not be the first ‘luxury’ theater we have watched a movie in (it’s certainly not the first in the metro either!), but it was definitely a relaxing experience for us and a lot of other moviegoers for sure.