Kwebang Lampas Puting Buhangin Pagbilao Quezon

How to go Kwebang Lampas Puting Buhangin (Lukang Beach) Barangay Isla Polo, Pagbilao Quezon


Why go?
The beach, cave, CHAMI :)

Still not convince why? Well here's the photos :)

Kwebang Lampas

On the way to Puring buhangin and Kwebang Lampas SULIT na ^_^

HIKE time :)

Puting buhangin on the way to Kwebang Lampas

Kwebang Lampas

When to go?
After Pahiyas Festival on May 15 or the long week festival of Lucena  (Pasayahan sa Lucena (May 27-29), City Fiesta - May 30 (St. Ferdinand) and Santacruzan - May 31)

What to do?

1. Beach bum
2. Sunset at the other side (jump off)
3. Caving (just 3 minutes away from the beach)
4. Island hopping
5. Trekking
6. Bonfire and star gazing 
7. If you went during fiesta time free food, music and booze :p

How to go to Kwebang Lagpas Puting Buhangin?

"Taking Public Transportation

If you are from Metro Manila, you can ride a bus going to Lucena City. Recommended to take JAC Liner as they have several bus stations and have trips every hour. They have bus stations in Kamias, Quezon City and Buendia-Taft, in Pasay. These stations have trips to Lucena. The trip to Lucena is approximately 4 hours. There are few ways to get to Kwebang Lampas:

1.) Once you arrived at Lucena Grand Central Terminal you can ride a jeepney going to Pagbilao. Then another jeepney to Brgy. Isla Polo. At the terminal in Isla Polo you need to take a tricycle going to the jump off.

2.) Another way of getting to the jump off from Lucena is by taking the mini bus going to Calauag or any buses going to Bicol. Just tell the driver to drop you off at Crossing to Isla Polo. Once you reached the crossing, wait for the jeepneys going to Isla Polo. Or you can hire a tricycle going to the jump off. (Not recommended for first timers as you might get lost).

3.) From Manila you can ride a bus going to Bicol and get off at Pagbilao-Crossing to Isla Polo. I am not sure how much the fare would be and how long is the travel time. I haven’t tried this one. Again, not recommended if you are not familiar with the place yet.

***You still need to ride a trike and pay 150-200 pesos YES it's expensive!

Wait, don’t get too excited! You still need to cross the river by the boat. Then you have the choice to either trek to the beach for about 10-15 minutes. Or cross the sea for about 3-5 minutes." gladjaytor.wordpress.com

WARNING: Be sure that you have a trike going back to the town or else you will walk. This is what happened to us BUT HEY! I enjoyed it :) star gazing :) and trekking at night :) hehe

Negative side EXPOSED:

1. Expensive trike fee 200 pesos fee well before it is only 100 peso
2. Dogs in the beach
3. Some garbage :( PLEASE refrain from littering COMMON guys! 

Other source for good information
http://www.lakwatseradeprimera.com/quezon-puting-buhangin-and-kwebang-lampas/
http://www.thepinaysolobackpacker.com/2010/05/27/beach-bumming-kwebang-lagpas/

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Intramuros Fort Santiago How to go What to do

Intramuros Tour, Sunset , Sampaguita ice cream and special ube ensaymada

     Here's a peek of what you will see in the slides later ^_^

Finally before our school starts again, I  have the chance to see the sunset in Fort Santiago. ^_^ 

Fort Santiago Flora

Well @ Fort Santiago bamboo garden

The adventure begins... ^_^

     Out first stop is to go to Ilustrado restaurant we went here just to try the sampaguita ice cream (Philippines national flower-mostly used in creating flower necklace for the Saints). We also tried the Illustrado Ube the weird thing is the price is 50 pesos if takeout, 100 peso if dinein O_o. Ohhh well other restaurant are doing this also.  Ilustrado Location

     Why try the sampaguita ice cream? I'm so sure you will be one of the special people on Earth that will be able to try it. ;p You should also try the ube ensaymada,

    This time I was planning to take the route from General Luna to Fort Santiago (South->West->North) but to our surprise that route is close. The route that we took is from Baluarte de San Andres (South->East->North), the usual route that I take.

     Passing through Puerta Real, Revellin de Real de Bagumbayan, Baluarte de San Andres, Revellin de Recoletos,  Baluarte de Dila O, Mapua, Lyceum, Puerta del Parian, Revellin del Parian, Baluarte de san Gabriel, Puerta Isabel II, Aduana, and finally we reached Fort Santiago.

Intramuros Slides









Fort Santiago Slides



TIP: Try to stay beyond 6pm until the guard reminded you that Fort Santiago is open until 6pm only. Depending on the month of the year sunset can be as early as 530 or as late as 630.

entrance fee (map included):
50 student, senior
75 adult


TIPS:
1. Check the sunset time via timeanddate.com 
2. Before you start the tour you should have printed the map and the information regarding each Baluarte's and Puerta's.


Intramuros Google Map
Wiki Travel Org Intramuros Map
Walk tour (Eazy traveler) if you want to start having your sampaguita ice cream then start at Baluarte de San Andres

3. Wear a comfortable clothing, bring a cap, bottle of water, and snacks.
4. Start around 3pm/4pm so that you will avoid too much exposure to the Sun.
5. Beware of scammers/beggars. Only go with the legal one.
6. If you are going to rent a calesa(horse-drawn carriages‎) the rent is by hour. SO even youa re inside the church they will charge you. Last time we tried the calesa we were charge 3000Peso(70 dollars)
7.  You can also get a tour guide Tour Guide (900 or less) for a different/lively/emotional view of Intramuros Carlos Celdran. Please ask the Fort Bonifacio Visitors Center for other options. This includes a 15minutes ride in a calesa.
8. One day is not enough for Intramuros, This is my fourth time and I still haven't seen all.

How to go to Intramuros
Get around: You have the options of touring by walking, calesa (horse-drawn carriages‎) or padyak (bicycle).

What you can do/see in Intramuros

1. Walls
2. Gates
3. Churches
4. Restaurants
5. Plazas, monuments, and public buildings

What you can do/see in Fort Santiago
1. History (dungeons,prisons,ruins, museums,)
2. Photography
3. Picnic area/playground
4. Watch the sunset ^_^
5. Souvenir, restaurant


    The day ended as I see the sun sets in one of the most historical place in the Philippines. This is while we are eating the ube ensaymada :) sarap!

FUN METER: 4/5 the other route are inaccessible... nevertless it's a FUN DAY ^_^

Wikitravel Intramuros
Wikipedia Intramuros
www.intramurosmanila.asia

Restaurant List

Recommended:
Starbucks built in the wall of Intramuros ^_^


Barbara's

Openrice.com
Munchpunch.com

Budget

• Chowking, FEM I Bldg, Andres Soriano (Aduana), ☎ +632-5271339 / +632-5272903, [19]. 7 AM to 10 PM. Chinese dishes with a Filipino twist. Branch store of a major fast-food chain.  edit

• Greenwich, Ground Floor, FEM II Bldg, Andres Soriano (Aduana), ☎ +632-5271682 / +632-5220331, [20]. Fast-food-style pizza and pasta. Look elsewhere for authentic Italian cuisine, but it's a decent enough place if all you're after is a quick, tasty, reasonably priced meal.  edit

• Jollibee, Andres Soriano (Aduana) cor. Muralla, ☎ +632-5270489 / +632-5270505, [21]. M-F 6AM-8:30PM, 7AM-7PM weekends. Typical fast-food joint: burgers, fries, fried chicken and so on. Branch store of the country's largest homegrown fast-food chain.  edit

Mid-range

• Andria's Taste, Chamber 8, Puerta Isabel II, Muralla (in front of the Letran dormitory), ☎ +632-5366427 (andriastaste@gmail.com), [22]. Serves an assortment of popular dishes, including roast chicken and chicken sisig.  edit

• Bistro Marinero, General Luna (Calle Real del Palacio) cor. Santa Potenciana (near San Agustín), ☎ +632-5272261 / +632-5278461 loc. 367 or 373(casa.marinero@nykfil.com.ph, fax: +632-5272234 / +632-5272264), [23]. The menu features a mix of Western and local dishes. Special "payday" buffets, combo meals, etc.  edit

• Coco Bango Cafe and Restaurant, Plaza San Luis Complex, General Luna (Calle Real del Palacio) cor. Urdaneta (attached to the White Knight Hotel), ☎ +632-5266181, [24]. Offers Asian and Western fare.  edit

• Max's Restaurant, 283 Cabildo, ☎ +632-5270532 to 33 (fax: +632-5270533), [25]. Part of a nationwide chain of popular family restaurants, Max's specialises in fried chicken (not the cheap fast-food variety!) and other Filipino favourites.  edit

• Ristorante delle Mitre, CBCP Building, 470 General Luna (Calle Real del Palacio) (near San Agustín), ☎ +632-5595220. Features simple, hearty Filipino meals inspired by the favourite dishes of the country's bishops and clergy. The culinary team is supervised by a nun who formerly served as a cook to a prominent local cardinal, and the walls are decorated with portraits and mementos of senior clerics - perfectly in keeping with the sacred atmosphere of the San Agustín area.  edit

Splurge

• 9 Spoons, 9th Floor, The Bayleaf Intramuros, Muralla cor. Victoria (inside the Bayleaf hotel building), ☎ +632-3185000, [26]. 6AM-1030PM.Contemporary interiors, access to a roof deck and splendid views. The restaurant serves both international dishes and local specialities. Buffet breakfast daily, buffet lunch on weekdays.  edit

• Barbara's, Plaza San Luis, General Luna (Calle Real del Palacio) (right across the street from San Agustín), ☎ +632-5273893 / +632-5274086, [27].Housed in a Spanish colonial-style building a stone's throw from San Agustín Church, this centrally located restaurant serves traditional Filipino and Hispanic fare in an old-style setting.  edit

• Ilustrado, 744 General Luna (Calle Real del Palacio) (within the El Amanecer compound, a few blocks down the street from San Agustín), ☎ +632-5273674 (reservations@ilustradorestaurant.com.ph), [28]. Mainly Filipino-Spanish cuisine: rellenong bangus (stuffed milkfish), paella, and other traditional dishes. Fine dining in the heart of the walled city.

Drink


If you're feeling peckish - or need something more substantial to go with your beverage - the cafés listed here also generally offer light meals and snacks, making them a good alternative to the restaurants listed in the previous section.

• Cioccolata – Churros Café, Ground Floor, The Bayleaf Intramuros, Muralla cor. Victoria (look for the Bayleaf hotel building), [29]. 6AM-10PM Mon-Fri, 8AM-8PM Sat-Sun. Nothing like some good old-fashioned churros con chocolate to relive colonial days. Also offers a selection of more contemporary beverages, sandwiches and desserts.  edit
• Starbucks, 15-A Puerta Isabel II, Muralla cor. Magallanes (near Puerta de Isabel II), ☎ +632-5274282, [30]. No matter where you go, you can't escape Starbucks. Sits not far from the historic Puerta de Isabel II, the last gate built in Intramuros. source ( http://wikitravel.org/en/Manila/Intramuros)

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17th Philippines International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

A weekend of everything that flies.

"The Balloon Fiesta hopes to fuel the passion of flying to both the young and the old to help move the aviation industry forward."



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

So what fun things can you do in here?
Watch Hot air Balloons




Fly a kite!



Watch Kite exhibition and do some actual unexpected exhibition (entangling your own kite to other people and watch your kite go crazy exhibition ^_^_



Car Drifting


Fireworks


Just lying on picnic table cloth and seeing kites + clouds, SIESTA time!

Watch Aeromodelling
Watch Paragliding
Watch Skydiving
Watch Ultralights
Watch a rescue mission - Helicopter
Jet exhibition
Airplane Exhibition

Food trip
having LOTS and LOTS of FUN!


Official attraction list

Tips for travelers
Personal Experience

Tips for Travelers

1. Go to Five Star terminal since they have even have 1am travel from Manila going to Dau.
Schedule of Five Star Bus
Schedule of Victory Liner @EDSA Cubao and Pasay
Philtranco
Philippine Rabbit 530am 30mins waiting time @Rizal Avenue cor. recto
Bus Megamall A - near Toy Kingdom 7am-730pm



2. Don't bring too much foods/chips or else you will have a hardtime bringing it to everywhere you go. Foods are available there at an affordable price.
3. Bring 2 shirts, we got lucky it was not that sunny, neverthless we are human being and located near equator so expect to sweat
4. Going in the venue, it is much easier to just buy the ticket on the event and enter the SHORTER LINE. I wonder why people go to the longer line? (Now I wonder I almost did that too!)
5. Bottled water is 25 pesos there no need to bring water.
6. Bring picnic table cloth/banig/sarong/ for you to have a resting place. You wouldn't want to stay in a tent the rest of the day. Experience the event. Don't stay in food stalls. Believe me lying in the sarong and seeing the kites and clouds and Mt. Arayat is a great experience.
7. Watch all the event, some title of event is boring but it's really nice
8. It is better to go on Saturday or Sunday since there are more events.
9. bring binoculars, I forgot to bring one.
10. If you are going to travel by Public Utility Vehicle after the event is done, RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN so you can ride jeepney back to terminal. Or else you need to walk a long way to terminal/or you'll be lucky to find a trike. If ever you have a lot of friends with you and you found one trike, you can ask the trike to contact the other trike drivers to fetch your other friends, and lastly have FUN ^____________^
If you don't want to bring a vehicle and don't want to walk you can buy a tour  from an Agency but do note that they leave Manila at 7am so you will missed the 530am event. For the agency please visit this site

For official FAQ Please visit http://www.philballoonfest.net/faqs.html
For other tips pls visit Azrael's site

Personal Experience:
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...Balloon, a toy that we as a kid love it. A birthday or going to park wouldn't be complete without it.


I'm a big guy now so I wan't a hot air balloon! Nahhhh it's expensive and where would I keep it? so the only thing I could do is well :D tadahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! go to the 17th Philippines International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta which will be held in Clark Pampanga.


Summary:Another memorable super duper great time with my mountaineer family (Storm Chasers) ^_^ + 1 classmate from Mapua Marco + Shan!

It is mine and lifelong friends dream of going to this event 4 years ago. Every year it's just ALL plans....plans... but we always ended up going to somewhere else hehe :p. I said to myself one day...one day....Then finally, Bry one of the Storm Chasers posted that there there will be a balloon festival this February 9 to 12 2012. I asked my best friends at first they said yes but Anne is sick, the other 1 has just been married, the other 2 in in province, the other on in Korea, and the other one @Mico well tinamad na hehe? In the end I'm glad that Storm Chasers will really go ^_^

A big wohooooooooooo! BUT BUT BUT! whoops at the day we will buy the tickets WHOOOPS no more tickets! WHOA!!! but after a day it's being sold again by ticket net. + I saw Marco's status that he want to go so there you go +2 adventurers wohoooooo!

Then the day finally arrive! we need to leave 2 am from Manila to Clark so we can be there by 330 and be early...WHOOPS !

I'm in the Five star terminal at about 130am. Marco and Shan arrived around 2am. Kevin's camera had a problem so he was late... I went to the first bus and reserve 5more seats HAHAHA. Well until I just went down cause we are not yet complete. It's fine at least I can have some penoy again after 13years.

We arrived in the event around 530 BUT whoops ticket is still with the people who climb Mt. Arayat.

Finally we decided to just buy another ticket and let the other just sell the tickets again.
FINALLY we got in WOHOOO lets the balloon fun begins!

So here are the fun things you can do to the event:

*** Hot air Balloons*** (you can see strange shaped hot air balloons, a cake, car, panda, I think 2011 had better lineup) but todays weather might not permit it. Other balloons actaually wasn't been able to fly at all.

***Kite****We we're able to fly a kite!
You could try buying kites ahead of time so you can have a better kite for a better price, you can try Divisoria for that.

There's also a kite exhibition :D

***Marine Helicopters/airplanes and war vehicles***

you can even ride some of the war vehicles and get some photo. They even have soldiers inside :D

Car Drifting
Just lying and seeing kites + clouds
foodtrip- penoy,shawarma, snow ice, scramble, hongkong noodles, chicharap
Sky Diving
Rescue mission - Helicopter
Jet excibition
Airplane Exibition
Fireworks (which is kinda disappointing anyways there will be a special firework palooza next week ^_^ )

Food tripppppppp - penoy,shawarma, snow ice, scramble, hongkong noodles, chicharap
having LOTS and LOTS of FUN and kulitan!


NOTE: Trekkeras are so hardcore they climbed Mt. Arayat and went to Balloon Festival WHOAAAAAAA!


Even going home is FUN! nag Pinoy henyo game before going home UNTIL :( someone stole my phone :( BUT it was still fun ^________^ it's just a phone I can buy again next time. BUT the fun memories :D can't be bought by money.

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