Weekend in Real, Quezon

My wanderlust friends and I haven't been able to do any traveling these past few months, thus the reason why this blog became sort of semi-abandoned. A month ago we decided that it was time to satisfy our itching feet, but we needed a place that was near Manila that wasn't crowded and affordable since we could only afford a weekend off. So after some researching, we decided to go to Real in Quezon.

Real is a quiet sea-side town that is slowly gaining popularity for surfers. Travel time through the scenic route of the Marikina-Infanta road will take two to three hours by private car. If by public transportation, the Raymond bus line to Infanta will pass through Real and the resorts along the main highway.

After checking the resorts along the road, we settled at Janely Resort. For P3500 we were able to get an air-conditioned unit with two beds and an extra mattress, own bathroom, a TV and our own porch that also serves as our dining area and place where we can leave our cooler and foodstuffs. The caretaker, Rose, was very helpful and accommodating. I wasn't able to get the name of the nice lady who cooked our rice for us and even lent the kaldero for the duration of our stay. 

Buying food isn't a problem since there is a wet market or palengke near the resort where you can buy fish, vegetables, ice, charcoal and slippers. There is also a restaurant in the market offering paluto, and it doesn't cost much. For lunch before we left Real, we had sinigang na hipon and fish sarciado good for five people with five cups of rice and big bottle of cola. It cost us P300. I don't have pics of our food since we were so hungry after our white water tubing adventure that taking pictures was the last thing on our minds.

Real offers a lot of activities that are really a lot cheaper in comparison to other provinces that offer the same kind of activity. You can learn to surf at the PARK (Pacific Recreational Kamp). One good thing about the waves in Real is that it is good for beginner surfers since the waves aren't that high. Real also offer white water tubing at the Tignaoan river for P350.

I recommend this place if you want to relax, learn to surf and get your adrenaline fix without having to travel too far or spending too much. For this trip, we spent P2000 each with the breakdown as follows:

Gas/transpo = P600 (my friend brought her car and we split the gas bill between five people)
Accomodation = P700 (P3500 split by five. But the room is big enough to accommodate six people. And the biggest plus here is that the resort is well maintained and really clean)
Food = P300 per person
White water tubing = P350 each

One thing I also love about Real is that it isn't crowded. My friends and I try as much as we can to avoid super touristy places because that is where the crowd is and chances are you don't get to relax much.

So if you're looking for a place to go this weekend, try Real in Quezon. You will definitely fall in love with this quiet town and want to come back again.

Surviving Mt. Pinatubo

From the time I saw how the area around Mt. Pinatubo was converted as a tourist destination a few years back, it became one of my bucket list destinations. The way it was promoted was that it was a fun place to go and I always feel bad that I who have lived in the Philippines all my life have not seen such tourist destinations. I felt bad knowing that foreign tourists are always the first to explore and enjoy the hidden wonders of my country.

So when a friend came home from abroad, the wandering trio decided to scratch Mt. Pinatubo off our bucket list. We invited some more friends since touring Mt. Pinatubo is cheaper when you are in a group of four or five people.

Our meeting place was at the Victory Bus station in Cubao at around 3AM. We boarded a bus going North and got off McDonald's in Capas, Tarlac. Travel time is around 2.5-3 hours. We had breakfast first, then took the tricycles parked in front of Mcdo to take us to the tourist office for our Pinatubo adventure. The trike ride will take about 45mins to an hour.

At the tourist office, we registered and settled in for the briefing. The group was on an all time high, smiling and excited. Little did we know of the hardship we had signed up and paid for! haha

After the 30min briefing/orientation, we proceeded to our designated 4x4 jeeps. The (bumpy) ride to the trek jump off point will take also about an hour. Our eyes feasted on the surreal surroundings, with lahar towers everywhere. Our tour guide told us that during the rainy season, the whole area becomes a river.

We reached the trek jump off point at about 9AM. Someone in my group said that  7kms is a piece of cake, since we did trek Batad and that was 6kms. Oh, how wrong we were.

In order to get to the crater of Mt. Pinatubo, one has to cross lahar (volcanic ash), small rivers, stones of every shape and size and the last part would be a lush jungle path with slippery stones. For city dwellers like us who are on the heavy side of the weighing scale, it was pure torture! Plus the fact that we only look young for our age, but all of us were pushing 40!

Don't be fooled by the 2km marker that serves as a rest stop. It's like a cruel joke, because we were walking for about an hour or so to reach the crater, and we knew in no way it was 2kms. Walking from the Mansion in Baguio to the Botanical gardens is 2kms. Anyway, when the place was first opened to the public, this was where the jump off point was. Typhoons and time had made the trip via 4x4 jeeps to this point dangerous, that's why the jump off point is now at the "7KM" mark.

You'll know that you are near the crater when you see a cement path.

Swimming in the lake isn't allowed. They used to allow it but because the lake is very deep and the numerous drowning incidents of tourists, they have banned it.

After an hour or two of resting, we headed back. It was about to rain and the lahar paths become raging rivers once the rain pours.Our group was the last ones to leave since we were so tired, we were literally dragging our butts on the trail. The 4x4 ride that we enjoyed in the morning felt like being in a blender on our way back. Once we got to Capas, there was a restaurant beside Mcdo where we ordered sisig, bulalo, and inihaw na baboy and tons of rice. Our bodies ached for days, but if asked if it was worth it, I'd say yes.

Our tour guide told us that nature is slowly reclaiming the area around Pinatubo and soon it will be back to how it was before the mountain erupted in 1990. This is also one of the reasons why they are encouraging people to come and see it before the lahar towers crumble.

Visiting Sagada

The wandering trio's trip to Sagada has been a source of amazement to their friends. They could not believe that we were able to visit Batad, Banaue, Sagada and Baguio for only P4000 (that's roughly a hundred dollars). That amount already included transportation, food and lodging.

First, how to get there. The route we took is the Manila-Banaue-Bontoc-Sagada route since we wanted to see the Banaue Rice Terraces and visit Batad for a day. The Banaue rice terraces is the most famous one adorning many posters and is even featured on our P20 bill. Or, you can also try the Manila-Baguio-Sagada route. This is where the big chunk of your expenses will fall. The bus from Manila to Banaue is P400 ($10), then P150 for the van to Bontoc ($4), then P45 for the jeepney ride to Sagada ($1). To get back to Manila, you can catch the bus to Baguio for P220 ($5), then take any of the Manila bound buses from Baguio. Fare for Baguio to Manila ranges from P450-400 ($10-11)

Now, where to stay. There are a lot of inns in Sagada, the one where we stayed is George's guest house. For P200 ($5) per person per night, it's a good enough deal for us. The rooms are clean and comfy, and they offer free wi-fi. What we love about this inn is that on check-out, they will drive you to the bus station. No hassles of walking with heavy bags. Oh, in case I forget, wear comfortable shoes. There are no cabs in Sagada. You have to walk. The inn or tourist office can arrange a van to take you around the sights, but it can be expensive because not only do you pay for the services of the vehicle, you also pay for the day tour rates of the guide.

Where to eat? There are a lot of restaurants in the main street, our favorite one being Sagada Lemon Pie House. They serve good coffee and lemon pies, and they also serve rice meals. When we visited in 2012, we were fortunate enough to visit Haddeku cafe. They serve great meals within our budget of less than P150 ($3.50) a meal. Unfortunately when I went back last year, the cafe is no more. In it's place is a new George's guest house annex. Haddeku served Sagada cooking or dishes. It was our first time to try sinigang sa kamatis (pork stew with tomatoes. Traditionally, tamarind is used as the souring agent) and we loved it.

One of the new restaurants we tried was Sagada Brew. The prices range from P200-250 ($5-6) and the servings are generous. I never go to Yoghurt house. Not because the food is bad, but their prices will kill my budget haha!

I will make another entry for the sights in Sagada. Most of them, you can explore without the need for a tour guide. But if you plan on exploring the caves of Sumaguing or do the cave connection, hire a guide from SAGGAS. You can find their tour package rates here.