[Blog #8] Pick your ride!

Last time I introduced some of Philippine’s best vacation spot. The places that I listed weren’t even half of what you can see in the Philippines. Since I already started introducing about my country, I decided to write more about it. This time, I will share about the common (but unique) transportations you will see only in the Philippines.

Jeepneys are the common and popular transportation in the Philippines. Honestly, these jeepneys were originally given or sold by the American troops to the Filipinos after World War II. To accommodate more passengers, they made it 2 meters longer and putting two long seats, one on each side from the front to the back. It is manned by two people, a driver and a conductor; the conductor manages the passengers and takes the fare collection. Originally, jeepneys don't have air-conditioning; instead it has 2 long windows on the side and run by a gasoline. Bu, these past few years, Filipinos started using LPG and electrical jeepneys; both are cheaper and environment friendly.

Tricycle is a motorcycle with a sidecar which will be the passenger’s cabin. This is the most popular means of transport in small towns and cities, especially in the rural areas. They are also known as auto-rickshaw. Commonly, tricycles contain 5 passengers, 3 on the side car and 2 passengers at the back of the passenger. Some tricycles utilizes even the back of the sidecar that can already accommodate up to 7 passengers. Same with jeepneys, some tricycles were already converted to electrical tricycles; cheap and environment friendly.

regular tricycle

7 passenger tricycle

Pedicab,unlike tricycle, uses vinyl-covered sidecar mounted to a bike. Pedicabs are useful for carrying cargo that is too heavy to hand-carry, or the journey is too congested for motor transport. Like a bicycle rickshaw, this form of transportation is powered by human pedal power. Pedicabs are particularly welcomed on a hot day when the jeepney drops you blocks from your destination. Along with the jeepney and the tricycle, the open air of the pedicab provides pleasant relief from the heat.

Kalesa (calesa) is a horse drawn calash (carriage) introduced by the Spaniards. A kalesa looks like an inclined cart. It has two round wheels on each side and two rows of seats that can accommodate four persons. The driver sits on a block of wood located at the front of the cart near the horse. Among all this kind of rides, this is my favorite of them all. It’s really fun to ride especially when you are the driver. Unfortunately, kalesa’s can now rarely be seen in the cities but some provinces still preserve this and made it part in the history of that province.

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[Blog #6] Welcome To The Philippines

For my 6th blog entry, I want to introduce some places I would recommend if you plan to visit Philippines. The best season I suggest is during summer and it starts from March to May. It’s the perfect time for tourist to visit the country. Philippines is compose of 3 islands called Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Baguio City (bag-yo)

Baguio is the summer capital of the Philippines. It’s a city located at the top of a mountain and the only way to go up in the city is going through the ZigZag Road. Baguio is a favorite vacation destination of Filipinos & foreign tourist especially during summer because of its year-round cool climate. It was established by the Americans in 1909 that’s why most of their parks and streets are Americanize. The centerpiece of Baguio City is the Burnham Park which features a rectangular lagoon and open fields. There is also the Mines View Park, that boasts a spectacular view of Benguet's gold and copper mines. Baguio is also a city full of strawberries. They have a big farm of strawberries and you can pick the fruit on your own.

Banaue (ba-na-we)

Philippine’s asset is this Banaue Rice Terraces as quoted as the “8^th Wonder of the World”. Years ago, the Ifugaos (tribes) transformed the hills into rice farms and made it look like stairs. Many tourists and locals were amaze because of its unique appearance.

Bohol

Bohol is an island paradise in the Philippines famous for its white sand beaches, the Chocolate Hills and the Tarsier, the smallest primate in the world. Surrounded by beautiful beaches and coral reefs, Bohol is a travel destination for tourist & travelers who love nature. It is also renowned for its wonderful dive spot. Foreign and local divers come to Bohol to see the breathtaking underwater coral reefs around the islands. The Chocolate Hills is the main attraction of the province. It is not literally hills made of chocolates but because of their almost perfect shape and grasses that are brownish. Another attraction is the Tarsier, the smallest primate in the world. it has big eyes and long tail and you can just hold it using your palm.

Boracay

To visitors who love beaches, Boracay is the perfect and recommended spot because of its white sand and beautiful beaches. Tourist can go scuba diving, snorkeling & sunbathing but aside from this, a common sight around Boracay Island is sailing on slender hulled boats. The nightlife of Boracay is very lively with the numerous clubs and bars spanning the whole stretch of the beach. The popular scene during the night are the “fire dancers”.

Palawan

Palawan is the most well preserved major island group in the Philippines. The rain forest, caves, coral reefs, mangroves, beaches and clear blue waters are its best assets. It is a popular destination for people who love adventure. of years of preservation, the caves where able to form different shapes of stalagmites and stalactites.

Though this are just few of the tourist spots I can share, Philippines has a lot of variety that you can visit and you will be surely amaze.

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[Blog #3] I was a paparazzi for a day!

Korean Popular Music or more commonly known as K-Pop is widespread music genre currently invading Asia and now North & South America and Europe. I honestly admit that I am a big fan of Korean songs. Actually not only a fan, I’m addicted to it. It first started when a friend of mine was doodling something on her notebook, writing something that looks Chinese to me. I asked her what it was and then she started introducing me to “KPOP”. Because of Kpop, I experience a lot of first in my life that I never thought I will ever be involve with and one of those is becoming a “one day paparazzi”.

Super Junior, my favorite kpop group, went to the Philippines for a concert for the first time. I was so excited and anxious that I withdrew all my of my savings (it’s not that much on it by the way) just to get the VIP seat that cost me Php8000 ($182). . I didn’t expect the tickets will be that expensive, but I was so desperate that I thought “it’s their first time, I love them why not make the most of it”. Since I’m part of Daily Kpop news (click me!), an English-base Korean pop news site, we tried to coordinate with the organizers of the concert to make us their partner. Luckily we got it and we were given 2 press conference pass. I and my co-author/friend Shayne were lucky to have the press pass and both of us were excited and nervous.

It was April 10, 2010 when the concert and press conference was at the same day. Shayne and I were so panicky that we do not know what to expect and what to wear. The press conference was held in one of the famous hotels in the Philippines and we will be surrounded by professional people that we see on TV or read on the newspaper. No clue on what is going to happen; we just wore simple t-shirt, pants and brought a DSLR camera, at least to make us look legit. While waiting, they served food for us all since it was during lunch time. All the foods were displayed on a long table and all of it looks good. There were sushi, cakes, pasta, chocolate and many more. After eating, they already opened the doors of the room for the press conference. Shayne and I split up, me on the right side of the room and her in the middle so that we can get a good shot.Five minutes later they already started the event. After the introduction and some few speeches from the organizers, they already let Super Junior enter the room. I feel like hyperventilating because I don’t want to let my inner fan girl come out. My hands were shaking and I was biting my tongue so I won’t squeal. I tried to regain my composure and focus on what I had to do. They took pictures with the coordinators and organizers then after that the Q&A portion already started. I took pictures and videos and at the same time trying to concentrate on the questions and their answers because I need it for my article.

When the press conference was all done I told myself “So that is how they do it.” It was really thrilling, exciting and challenging. After that, I and Shayne need pack up and get ready fast for the next event, the concert.

This were the videos i took and you will notice my hands were shaking!

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