Hi! I can’t believe November is almost over and I haven’t written a single post here in my blog. Not that means my life is boring lately and there’s nothing to write about. Quite contrary, I got a big kind of adventures that I don’t have time to write. To tell the you the truth I am exploring vlogging lately. That’s why I am going to share with you this newest vlog of mine, our family’s getaway to Boracay. Since this plan was a spur of the moment plan, almost an impulse, so we couldn’t book a airfare promo. Instead, we resorted to travel by sea. So here’s my vlog on our experience.
21:34 Gurezu Reviews Final Verdict for Traveling with 2go Travel
I would love to write a blog version of it but maybe soon when I got more time in my hands.
Nowadays, traveling by ship is not a popular choice anymore. But I hope this vlog would somehow change your perspective on traveling by sea. I honestly enjoyed given that I also bonded with my family while we were sailing. I recommend everyone to try this too specially for lovers or group of friends.
No money for out-of-the country trip? No passport? No visa? No problem.
This resort from Cavite is a resort slash outdoor museum which will give you a chance to have a taste of around the world trip. This features the following landmark:
✈️Eiffel tower, Paris ✈️Statue of Liberty, New York ✈️Pyramids in Egypt ✈️Arabian Temple in UAE ✈️Santorini, Greece ✈️Pyramids in Egypt ✈️Garden of Morning Calm, South Korea ✈️ Disneyland Castle, Hongkong ✈️ Merlion, Singapore ✈️ Pantheon, Rome ✈️ Tower of Pisa, Italy
Others: Not able to capture in pictures ✔Netherland’s Windmill ✔Japan Arc
Opening Hours: ✈️ AM shift 8 am to 3pm ✈️ PM shift 4 pm to 11pm
How to Go from Manila ✈️Ride a bus from Edsa Pasay Terminal or PITX bound to NAIC, Cavite. Drop-off to Naic Crossroads. Landmark is Shakey’s or Jollibee. Pamasahe is around P178.00 each ✈️ Ride a tricycle straight to Torres Land Farm. P20.00 each person.
This is the basic rates for AM shift. If you don’t plan to swim, you can just opt for P180.00 entrance fee. Swimming for Adult: P200.00 Swimming for Kids: P140.00 Entrance fee is P180.00 (for picture taking only)
Pyramids in Egypt
Statue of Liberty, New York
Disneyland Castle, Hongkong
Tower of Pisa, Italy
Garden of Morning Calm, South Korea
Merlion, Singapore
Arabian Temple, UAE
Pantheon, Rome
Santorini, Greece
Eiffel Tower, France
Unfortunately, we were not able to drop by in the Windmills of New Zealand Area. They also have Japanese Area but it has special rates.
FULL RATES
Torres Land Farm resort also offers wide range if pools and overnight rooms. The following is published on their official facebook page in this link.
Base here on their map, they also have a Kayaking Area. We haven’t manage to check on that.
On our visit we availed a kubo cottage in the Philippine Area. It is worth P600.00 pesos for AM shift (8am-3am). But since there will be no occupant for the PM shift, they let us extend until we sign-off. This is the pool of the Philippine Area. Actually you can swim to other pools but since its the nearest to our cottage and we were also tired from all the picture-taking, we just opted to swim here.
LACK of FOOD KIOSK
This is very important to know. It is advisable that you bring your own food here. You can cook beside the cottage as there are a lot of grillers in the area that you can use. There are food stalls but nothing much like restaurant food to fill your appetite when you get super hungry. They have a cafe’ but the options are limited. We bought our food from Shakeys and Jollibee. These restaurants are one tricycle away from the resort. It would only take you less than 30 minutes to get there. We also bought a cake from Red Ribbon which is also nearby. I suggest you already bring food before you enter the resort to avoid the hassle. I also suggest to the resort to build a main restaurant aside from the cafe’.
FINAL VERDICT
💖What I like: Torres Land Farm and Resort is a really good and affordable place to bond with family and friends. Also recommended for team buildings because of its wide area. I also love that there are wide range of pools to choose from. The replicas are cute and detailed. I guess they will add more because there are still wide vacant spaces. And before I forgot, I also like their shower rooms and CR. They are clean and well maintained. They also have cool designs. I really love it. I should have took pictures of it.
👿 What I didn’t like about this resort is the lack of food kiosk. I suggest they build their own restaurant there. Or maybe acquire concessionaires. But other than that, I love everything about this resort.
💁 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!
I hope you enjoy this blog as usual Would you believe , we are done with the first half of the year 2019! I hope that wherever you are, you are o your way in achieving your goals this year. And if you are lost, I hope you find direction along the way.
One of my travel goals is to visit Jomalig (pronouced as Humalig) Island. But for these past years, I was intimated with the fact that this would take a 6-hour boat ride. I don’t know if I can. But this year I finally gave in when WeekendExplorersPH invited me as a joiner on a tour group as they tailor an organized trip to Jomalig. Our group would consist of 14 people. A big group that would split the cost nicely as this is a DIY Jomalig trip.
Just a brief folktale about the origin of the name of the island. Long time ago, the leader of the island has a beautiful daughter. A suitor came to ask for her hand. However, the leader of the island gave him a challenge to win her daughter. And that is to spear 3 fishes in every seawater of the island. The man accepted this challenge but did not succeeded. As a consolation, he requested a kiss from the leader’s beautiful daughter. When the girl kiss the man, the people were shocked they started shouting “Humalik!” which means to “Kiss” in local language. Soon Humalik became Humalig and now spelled as Jomalig due to American occupation. Love these kind of tales! I have many questions though. So the girl also like the young man? What happened after that? Did they elope or something?
But that does not matter though. It’s time for the photo documentary of our trip to Jomalig Island.Our group meet-up place was in Petron along Boni Avenue. I am nervous because I know the travel time I have to endure and also, it’s my first time to be a joiner. I only know a single soul in this trip. (Main concern: Who would take my photos specially my bikini pics? :P)Our van departed from Boni at around 1am.
Some notes about the Van Rental (cost slit among 14 people) Driver: Mikel Calimag Rental Fee going to Quezon: P6,000.00 (to be split between 14 passenger) Driver Food: P150.00
Port Real Quezon
Then we arrived at Port Real Quezon at around 5 am, We took our breakfast around the area and finally got a chance to talk with some people in the group. It turns out I am not the only one who’s a joiner here. Also I felt relieved to see that our ride was not exactly on a small boat just like we had in Calaguas. We were about to ride on a ferry boat! With seats and a top load where we can lie and sleep!
Time check: Our boat departed the port at around 7 am.
Ferry at Real Quezon going to Jomalig
These are some scenes at the topload of the ferry boat. I totally recommend to grab a spot here if you want to catch some sleep. Also it’s not so hot there.
Sun rise
Someone old me that this pic looks like a drug trafficking scene. Haha!
Free lunch! I did not expect that our ride has a free meal inclusion. And I love the food. It tasted good, even better than my breakfast that morning.
The free luch aredeliverd by plate
My Jomalig Travel Buddies
Some notes about the Ferry Boat Trip (cost split among 14 people) Port Fee: P140.00 Environmental Fee: P2380.00 Boat: P5600.00
Arrival at Jomalig and Lunch at Ate Lara’s House
The ferry boat is prohibited to touch the shore. So we have to transfer another smaller boat in order to finally reach Jomalig Island. It turns out that we will be staying at the house of “Ate Lara”
In addition for the house, Ate Lara’s added service is cooked food. They welcomed us with Filipino staple food “Adobo”.
Introducing our temporary humble home
Even if we were tired and sleepy, one should not waste the opportunity the catch swimming time under sunset in Salibungot Beach.
Some cost notes. Split among 14 people Entrance Fee at Salibungot Beach 1400 Boat to Resort by Ate Lyra P840.00 Home Accomodation (P380.00 room, P200.00 papag only) P3800.00 Rice + Adobo by Ate Lyra P1010.00 Water + Ice 170.00
Home Accommodation by Ate Lyra Contact Numbers: Globe-09561048356, Smart-09307968665
Second Day: Habal-habal (Motorbike) Tour
I did not expect that the essence of Jomalig adventure is the motorbike tour. They can be acquired on the spot. Just ask a local or Ate Lyra’s assistance if want a habal-habal tour . I’m scared of riding motorbike because for me it is accident prone mode of transportation. It just feel so unsafe in the city. But of course, will I let my fear spoil my Jomalig trip? I have no choice!
1st STOP: Ang Puno ng Walang Forever (The Tree of No Forever)
The tree is lonely because it grew in the middle of a space or field. Likened to a love that will forever be unrequited so you end up alone like this tree. Due to that, it became immensely popular that it was one of the tourist destinations. Picture taking here comes with a minimal fee of P65.00.
The tree might be sad but it might be angry too. With all the tourist riding its branches for pics the whole day, it might be bottling some resentments to humans . I just hope that the tree will be taken care of. I sounded like a killjoy here somehow. Instead of climbing the tree I made make-believe photos of me riding the motorbike on my own.
By the way here some snaps of our habal-habal bikes and guys.
By the time it’s our turn to take a pic with the tree, the light rain fell causing some mist and confusion in this pic.
2nd STOP: Golden Sand
It was raining when we arrived here. So the photos are kind of gloomy. I prefer sunny days during travels. And this honestly bummed me out. I prayed that the it won’t be like this the whole afternoon.
The beach was rocky and the golden sand would have been shining under a summer heat.
But of course, we will still push through with our bikini pic plans. Although quite prankly I am not in the mood here.
Yep, totally not in the mood.
3rd STOP: Little Boracay
At last! The Lord heard my prayers. The rain went away and the sun finally shone above. Just in time because Little Boracay looks so great. The white creamy sand truly resembles “Boracay” the most popular beach in the country.
Finally I was able to proceed to take a lot of pics this time around.
Aside from swimming, you can chill while drinking fresh buko juice.
Here’s my new friend @ steffiiish who collaborated with me to have each of our own bikini photos. I am so lucky.
Free Lunch at Stranger’s Household because It Fiesta Season in Jomalig!
Now, to add our lucky stride with the weather, our habal-habal drivers invited us to eat lunch at a nearby town which was currently celebrating their Fiesta. It’s a customary here in the PH to invite and feed strangers during this times for free! We had lovely lechon kawali. If you are curious when we toured Jomalig, we went here from April 27-29. This is really a good time to visit Jomalig I must say. The household invited us for dinner too but of course, we declined politely this time. We don’t want to abuse their kindness.
4th Stop: KANAWAY
One of the most breathtaking sites here. Golden sand,clear waters and sandbar. A very serene place.
5th STOP: LINGAYEN BEACH aka LITTLE BATANES
Wow Jomalig really has something to boast about. It has nuggets of popular destinations in the country. I have never been to Batanes myself so I could not really compare. But it could have been because of the rock formation, the sight of the large waves and strong breeze why they call this the little Batanes of Jomalig. The long stretch of a golden sand is also a great sight here.
A “Lost” inspired group-pic
Photography by Pabs
End of Habal-habal tour
By the end of the Habal-habal tour, I could say that my fear of motorbikes was wiped away. For the first hours, both of our hands clinging to the driver’s shirt for our dear life. But by the end of the tour, we were taking videos and pics already. Below is the short clip of our ride. It was truly an enjoyable and exciting experience seeing vast fields and farm life on our way.
By the end of our adventure, I was thankful that this is a habal-habal trip. Because if its not, like if its inside a car, trike, or anything that has comfortable seat, I could have been tinkering my mobile phone to upload pics for myday or browsing photos in my camera. In habal-habal, we were forced to detach ourselves from mobile phones and strictly enjoy the views passing by. It also helps that there are little to no mobile signal along the way. It’s good to detach in digital world sometimes and appreciate God’s creation. Moreover, at the end, I trampled my fear of riding motorbikes.
Some Notes of Expenses. Split by 14 persons. Puno ng Walang Forever P65.00 (as group) White Beach/Golden Sand Entrance P260.00 (as group) Little Boracay P390.00 (P30.00 each per person) Kanaway Entrance: P650.00 (50.00 each person) Little Batanes: P650.00 (P50.00 per person)
Going Home
At around 9:00 am in the morning we traveled back to the port to catch ferry boat back to Real Quezon. Here we bought souvenirs while waiting. Here are some pics I captured at the port to catch some final glimpse of this paradise.
And once again, our ferry boat ride has an inclusion of free lunch. It was Mongo Stew for now. It tasted great.
Just a clip of our ride. I am just so amazed with the sights of the mountains and trees of nearby islands.
Notes on Expenditure Ferry Boat with lunch :P400.00 each Van Rental + Driver Meal: P6150.00
SPECIAL THANKS !!!
Special thanks to WeekendExplorersPH for organizing this DIY trip and doing their best to make this affordable convenient for the joiners like me. Like their Facebook Page here WeekendExplorersPH . They are team of adventure lovers dedicated in sharing weekend travel itineraries and affordable tour packages. You may like and inquire at their facebook page. Just click this link: WeekendExplorersPH
Introducing the couple behind the Weekend Explorers PH, Patrick and Ella.
Thank you all the boys of the group who did all the groceries, chores and cooked wonderful breakfast and dinners for the group.
The following photo is not mine. Credits to Ella of Wandering Explorers PH
Thank you also to Steffy for the patience of taking photos of me. Please follow her ig. She’s a certified adventurer who’s contantly conquering mountains. Read and be mesmerized by her adventure stories. This is the link of her ig: steffiiish
Here’s the summary computation for our group. As you can see below, the estimated expenses for each person was p3119.00. But bear in mind that this does not include other meal expenses we had. I suggest an individual should at least have P4500.00 and join a travel group for more savings.
Important Contact Numbers: 1. Van Rental + Driver: Fb: Mikel Calimag Contact Numbers: 09771557607,09567359807 2. Homestay Acommodation by Ate Lyra: Globe-09561048356 Smart-09307968665
And…that’s a wrapped! So is Jomalig worth the grueling 4-hour land travel and 6-hour boat ride?
A big YES! Jomalig surprised me with its variety of beach offerings; a beach with golden sand (sometimes pink),a beach one white sand , a beach with rocky formations and a beach with amazing sandbars. It boats nuggets of Boracay and Batanes. Not only pristine beach waters but it also showcases vast farm and field life sights. Everything rolled in one place that is Jomalig.
Thank you all for reading our Adventure. I hope you include Jomalig in your travel bucket list because it’s definitely worth it.
No doubt, I was able to spot this resort due to viral facebook posts. They were able to replicate the bird’s nest, the swing and other fixtures that I often see to almost all tourist who went to Indonesia. And the photos were really great! So when a friend from abroad came home and we needed a short getaway together, this resort easily won as a suggestion. Here are some important details and my final verdict in this resort.
HOW TO BOOK:
It was fairly easy. We just sent a message to Villa Jovita facebook page and asked for the rates of overnight rooms. At the time of our trip, only Nipa Hut Rooms are available. To reserve the room, we need to send the following details and eventually deposit P500.00 thru their BDO account within 2 days of confirming our interest to book. The rest can be paid upon checking in.
Details needed to book:
Preferred Date:
Full Name:
Contact Number:
No. of Guests: Accommodation:
HOW TO GO:
It was easy to commute too. All it takes is a bus and a tricycle. Back and forth.
Go to DLTB Bus Terminal in BUENDIA STATION and buy a ticket going to Lemery Batangas. We paid P204.00 each for the bus.
Upon arriving in the DLTB Bus Terminal in Batangas, you can easily spot tricycles around. Just mention Villa Jovita and they already know it. We paid P100.00 and that’s already for four of us.
DAY TOUR RATES:
The following rates are updated as of this writing (March 11, 2019) .
DAYTOUR : No Reservation for cottage Daytour: 8am to 6pm
A. Weekends and Holiday Rate 👉Bali Corner P250 👉Riverside Pools P100 👉All Pools P150 👉All access P400
C. Cottages are rented seperately 👉Table (P500) Good for 10-12 person 👉Table (P600) River side Good for 10-12 person 👉Open Hut (P800) Good for 10-12 person 👉Umbrella (P300) Good for 3-4 person
OTHER NOTES 👉No CORKAGE Fee 👉No Reservation and Room Accomodation 👉First Come First Serve
KUBO ACCOMMODATION FOR OVERNIGHT:
We got a KUBO for 2-3 persons for the price of P3000. We were four in the group but they allowed it since they think we would still fit in there. It has two bedrooms, one was an ordinary room, one was a mezzanine type room which was quite small. They provide two electric fans. It has no own C.R.
It comes with bedding and blankets. However, the towels were by request. There were no free shampoos and soap. So remember to bring them.
RESTAURANT and STORE
I love their adobo binalot! I ordered it as dinner and breakfast. They also have silog meals, cup noodles and frappe.
BALI CORNER
Of course, we came here for their highlight feature and took a lot of pictures. Here are the outputs. This would show a glimpse of the things you can see here.
PHOTOSHOOT RATES
I didn’t avail the photoshoot rates since the photos are non-formal and for fun. But since I saw debut photos in their fb page, I asked anyway.
This is not the only pools available. They have a pool with a slide but I was not able to take photos on that one.
Comfort Room
This is what I least like I suppose. I guess since this resort is popular and given the price, I expected something more. There is no any mirror in it where they could have easily install it with the big space in the sink area. There is only three shower area and one of them is not functioning. But their toilet has bidet so they got points for that. Overall, I won’t say it’s super dirty but it’s not that clean either. Their CR needs upgrading.
Final Verdict
❤️ What I like: the Bali Corner is really great for photoshoots and play-pretend you were in Indonesia. I also like that someone is closely monitoring the people in there for safety. I seriously love their binalot available in the restaurant. I also like their riverside pools because of the relaxing nature views. Additionally, It’s near Manila and easy to locate.
😠What I don’t like: They seriously need to upgrade their CR. I think with the overnight fee for the Kubo (P3000.00), they should have at least provided free shampoos or soap just like other resorts.
🙋 Gurezu rating: 3 out of 5 stars!
Hope you enjoy my another travel blog. It’s been more than a month since my last blog. February was a busy month for me and I got a lot of stories to tell. I hope my mind and hands could catch up!
Nothing much can be said with our Day 2. This day is for the wedding of our college friend and classmate. We had time in the morning and we managed to at least visit Baker Hills and Puerto Princesa Public Market to buy some goodies we can take home.
Baker’s Hills is literally the hills of bakers. They gather here to offer the best pastries and delicacies like hopias, cakes and bread at a very affordable price. it’s a shame that I had taken photos of it. But I assure you that at a price of P500.00, you can buy many goodies to take home it would be hard to fit it in a bag.
Baker Hills is not only for food but also a romantic site for photoshoot. There are a lot of cute fixtures spread all over the place. However, we were not able to maximize our time here due to we are on a tight schedule.
Gigantic PaperbagBaker’s Hills Goodies RoomFake Bicycle. It does not move at all. Haha!Fake Bicycle. It still does not move at all.GIANT LOVEGIANT LOVESnow White and the Seven Dwarves statuesGiant Pot of SunflowersThis is my favorite of all displays, the tree of hearts. Each heart has messages on it most of which are hugot lines. But there are sensible ones too like the one below.
ASTORIA PALAWAN
The wedding we attended happened in Astoria Palawan. I got a shock of my life and when John Arcilla was part of entourage. He’s one of the respectable actors in the Philippines today. Most notable for playing Antonio Luna, an ill-fated story of a Filipino General in times of Spaniards Colonization in the Philippines.
This is his blockbuster movie poster which is now available for viewing in Netflix.
It’s rare for me to completely doll up these days. So I took the opportunity to have many photos as much as possible. Sadly, the sea was on low-tide that day. It is a good backdrop nonetheless.
A Girl in A Pink Dress in a Low-Tide Shore of Astoria PalawanA Girl in A Pink Dress in a Low-Tide Shore of Astoria PalawanA Girl in A Pink Dress in a Low-Tide Shore of Astoria PalawanFabulous Comfort Room of Astoria PalawanMy Travel Buddies
My friend was the one subjected to the game of garter and flowers haha!
Right after the wedding we traveled straight to El Nido Palawan for our sea adventures. The travel time was about 4 hours. To say we were exhausted was an understatement. But we have to be in El Nido by the next morning if we want to maximize the tour.
Tomorrow will be the Day 3 at last where the real Palawan Adventure took place! So excited to blog about the photos we took of the beautiful seas that is El Nido, Palawan.
Luljetta is a spa-resort located in Antipolo. It promises relaxation and commune to nature spa facilities . It is getting popular nowadays so we went here to celebrate my mother’s birthday since it is not too far away from Manila. Truth to be told, it is a great place. Here’s the list of what I would remember about this place.
1. The Welcome Golf-kart Ride. Actually it’s not far from the entrance to registration area. But Luljetta don’t want their guests to feel tired. So they will welcome you with a golf-car ride.
2. The thrill of choosing our bathrobe for the day and slaying it.
3. When we can’t stop laughing with Dr. Fish. It was so damn ticklish! We were laughing our hearts out. It took a long while before we were finally get used to it.
Here’s the video of our hardship to get along with Dr. Fish.
3. The relaxing skyline view of Antipolo. The silhoutte of Manila is also totally visible from Luljetta Cafe’
That’s Manila Metropolis right there.
4. The delicious food at Luljetta Cafe’. Along with the basic package, they offer “Antipolo’s Best Suman” and lemongrass tea. The suman is something you must not miss. The rice is crispy then soaked in honey and showered with bits cashew nuts. The combination was perfect and it was truly enjoyable chewing it. I already miss it while typing this.
I love the presentation for this one but this is the food we like the least among our orders. I actually forgot what it is but I remembered it was sour. And I’m not a fan of sour foods.
Sesame Fried Chicken. Not an ordinary-tasting chicken. I also love the sesame sauce that comes with it.
Steamed Fish in Fish Soya Sauce. I also love this one. Totally recommended.
5. Of course the Luljetta Cafe’ itself is unforgettable. It has colorful interior and what I love the most is their art gallery made by our local artists.
4. The Water Spa and a sweet couple we encountered during our stay here. If you are familiar with ACE Water Spa, this is the amenity that corresponds to it. In water spa, the water do the massage. It was kind of disappointing moment though that one of their water spa machine is not working during our visit.
Meanwhile I hereby introduce to you my bitter sister. A big thanks to this couple who cooperated in our impromptu shoot.
Couples should be banned here! hmp!
Yakapin ko na lang sarili ko tutal I love myself naman e.
I will hug myself because I also love myself.
May sarili naman akong kamay para hawakan..akala niyo kayo lang?
I have my hands to hold. You are not the only one.
Ano ba ‘yan???? Isang tao lang dapat per slot e.
What the f??? Only one person should be on one slot. Grrr!
My face be like…smile lang kahit inggit na inggit na.
As for me, I only care about slaying my bikini. haha!
5. The cute cottages, kubo and houses. This places would be perfect for catching-up conversations with friends, taking a nap or even drinking a cup of coffee. Some rooms have available do-your-own coffee features.
6. The Infinity Pool.
Actually we were not the only people here. It suddenly rained at this moment (with thunder and lightning) and I was not brave enough to submerge myself in to the cold water.
7. Things we have missed. Our package is only the most basic one. It was not enough to enjoy all amenities. We haven’t tried their specialty massage, sauna and jacuzzi. They also have overnight-stay inn here but we haven’t tried that as well since we have other plans.
Sauna rooms.
Jacuzzi.
8. The free souvenirs! When it’s time to go. You can choose either bracelet or rosary as a remembrance. I chose the latter.
Overall, I truly love our stay here in Luljetta Hanging Gardens. It was generally a rainy day but that did not completely spoiled the relaxation we got here. I won’t mind going back. I’ll probably getting the more expensive package next time. Like the one with massage. However, the rooms they offer is quite expensive for me and I don’t see myself trying that in the future.
HOW TO BOOK
Officially, the booking for Luljetta Hanging Gardens is in this site https://www.bienvenidotours.com/luljettas-place.html . You would be needing a paypal account, credit card or mastervisa debit card. It is advisable to book it in 3-7 days in advance. Below are the summary of their package. This came from their official fb page in this link. I also highligted the package that we bought.
2. Once you check-out your booking, you will be receiving an email from Bienvenido Tours which includes your receipt.
3. You will now be asked on the details of your arrival and contact number.
4. It is important to keep a digital copy or print-out of the receipt upon registration.
HOW TO GO.
There are many ways to go here but here’s the one we took since we were coming from Manila. For other ways, here’s the link for route suggestions.
Go to LRT2 Recto Station. Select Santolan bound station.
From Santolan Station, ride a Antipolo Cathedral bound jeep but ask the driver to drop you off the Antipolo City Proper.
From Antipolo City Proper, ride a tricycle going to Loreland Farm Resort. Luljetta Hanging Gardens is inside this resort too.
Going back to Antipolo City Proper is also through tricycle.
The moment I saw Treasure Mountain in Facebook, I know I have to go there someday. It promises an easy pass to “sea of clouds”. You don’t have to climb a mountain so to speak. Not that I am not fond of climbing mountains. Sometimes you just want to relax, take things easy. You want to take selfies in the mountainside without looking haggard and sweaty. (This is great for pre-nup shoot actually. I saw this in their page.) Manila habitants would also rejoice since it can only takes 3 hours to get here. More importantly, this is for the people who are incapable of climbing mountains for health reasons. In my case, I brought my mother here. I can never bring her to rigorous hiking. But thank goodness , there is treasure mountain.
Allow me to manage your expectation first. There is NO GUARANTEE you’ll see sea of clouds. It depends on the mood of the nature. But on the morning of June 24, 2018, we got super lucky.
Treasure Mountain is located at Sitio May Sawa Brgy. Cuyambay, 1980 Tanay, Rizal. I will categorize the ways to go here in three modes.
A. Chillax Mode. There is less commuting efforts and there is definitely no hike involved. Straight to the mountain beshies.
Go to Tanay Public Market with this 3 options.
From Starmall in front of Megamall, ride a jeep or FX (UV express) going to Tanay Market
From MRT Cubao, ride an FX or Jeepney going to Tanay Market.
From LRT Santolan, ride FX going to Tanay Market.
2. From Tanay Public Market, ride a tricycle straight to Treasure Mountain. This will cost P500.00. I think that could accommodate four persons already, as long as you fit in one tricycle. I got our trike near Puregold, somewhere around Public Market.
B. Adventurer Mode. I called it this way because it takes a lot of commuting and it gives you an opportunity to have 20-minutes trek to sea of clouds.
Ride a van or jeepney going to Cogeo Gate 2 or Padilla
Ride a jeepney bound to Sampaloc, Tanay
Get-off at Sitio Maysawa, waiting shed or the jump-off to the Maysawa Circuit
Trek for 45 minutes or take a tricycle to Treasure Mountain
C. Detour Mode. We did this one unexpectedly.
We came from Antipolo because we visited Luljetta Hanging Garden first. The original plan is from there, we will travel to Treasure Mountain and stay overnight. I even reserved a room. But there was quite a heavy rainfall. Aside from that, all jeepneys going to Tanay were all full. Tricycle from Antipolo woudn’t even agree to bring us even in Tanay Market because it was too far. I was highly discouraged and actually decided to go home already. We stopped by in a restaurant in Morong to have dinner. We had a chitchat with the crew there and they suggested we stay in a low-cost apartelle nearby to rest then just travel at 2 am. We decided to take this advice.
This is Hanson’s Apartelle in Teresa, Antipolo and it have crazy low rates. Great for the people who went on Antipolo tour. Or people who want to have shorter travel time for their tour in Tanay, Rizal.
We took the 6 hours Aircon room. This is for two people only. We just added P100.00 for extra person. So all-in-all we spent P550.00 pesos. Not bad right?
This is the room. There’s no much facility here. No wifi, no extra outlet, the t.v was old. I But who would I to complain? It is expensive and a truly decent room to stay for a short time. The CR is okay too. It is clean.
At 2:30 am, we took a jeepney going to Tanay. We dropped-off Puregold near Tanay Public Market and immediately got a trike going straight to Treasure Mountain. Even though it was still dark, we already saw a LOT of sea of clouds along the way. I was so happy.
REGISTRATION
I am quite disappointed with this one. We arrived at around 4:30 am. But we were greeted with an empty registration area. (Well except dogs were there.) I read that the day tour starts at 4 am so I expect that it would open at this time. Time is of the essence for me. Sea of clouds may disappear And I need to set-up in a good spot for photos. Also we were also there for the sunrise. I think the staff arrived at 5 am.
Entrance fee is only P 150.00 each person for DAY TOUR.
But there’s no time for bad vibes. Sea of Clouds is waiting for us and we have to hurry!
I intentionally brought this skirt for awra purposes haha!
Nang umakyat si Inang Kapatagan sa Kabundukan…
The Sea of clouds rose up from where stood. There was a moment of zero visibility here. If this is water, we were drowned for sure. But this is clouds and we are happy to drown. Now, it’s great for coffee drinking session.
FOODS and DRINKS
After taking so much photos, it’s time to get hungry and satisfy our coffee cravings because of cold temperature. Treasure mountain has a small restaurant which is open from 6 am to 9pm.
These are the rates of the food here. It’s quite pricey for silog meals but reasonable since we’re on top of a mountain. Coffee by the way is P20.00 per cup.
Tent Rental: P500.00 / tent for a capacity of 2 persons, P800.00 / tent for a capacity of 4 persons
Sleeping mat rental: P200.00
Room Lodging: P500.00 minimum of 2 persons and maximum of 5 guests. Sleeping mat inclusive.
Side-Trip
Bosay Falls : P500.00 for tour guide, maximum of 5 guests
Cars are welcome to go directly here but be warned that there are parts of the road that has still no pavement year. This will be on the driver’s discretion.
They have decent CR too. Quite muddy and dark but understandable since this is on top of a mountain.
Going back to Tanay Public Market is easy too. There’s a tricycle terminal just walking distance away from Treasure Mountain.
That’s all for now. I have a lot of videos here that I have not processed yet. Overall, this is a beautiful place for relaxation and mountainside photo-ops. It’s inexpensive and require no long travel time from Manila. The cons are late opening of Registration area and very slow-response in their fb page. My reservation for a room took about 4 days to be processed. But still, I will definitely come back here because I haven’t roamed the area. I have missed beautiful spots for more photo-ops. And I haven’t done the original plan of Astrophotography practice here.
And this BTS photo taken by mother that I’m really fond of.
And a MORAL LESSON!
RAIN is not always a bad thing. After the rain, there will be rainbows. And also SEA of CLOUDS! (Wew that was deep -_- ….)
Kidding aside, if we gave up because of the heavy rain, we would have not seen this breathtaking view. That translate to real life as well. So don’t give up with life struggles. Always looks for detour to get what you want.
My sister wanted to celebrate her 26th birthday at Baguio. I was not that thrilled because I already toured Baguio years ago. But thanks goodness, while researching something to add in our itinerary, I stumbled in a facebook blog about “Northern Blossom at Atok, Benguet, two hours from Baguio. Finally, it felt like this is the twist I am looking for our Baguio trip. I immediately added this on our second-day itinerary.
*Monday, March 5, 2018, 6:30 am, we went out of our transient home and hailed a taxi going to Dangwa Bus Station. According to the facebook guide, we would ride a bus going to Bontoc or Sagada. We were just in time because the next trip going of the bus was 7:00 am. I told the conductor that our drop-off would be the Municipal Hall of Sayangan Atok, Benguet. The tickets caused P73.00 per person.
* We arrived at around 9:15 am. The municipal looked like this. We entered and asked around how to register as tourist and we were redirected to a tent booth.
*To tell you the truth, there was a slight misunderstanding during the registration. After we signed up in their log-book, we were offered to purchase a day tour that would cost almost P1500.00 for our group. Although the tour is exciting, it would be way beyond our plans and our budget. I made clear that just wanted to visit Northern Blossom and Benguet Kochi Sisterhood Park where there are real Sakura flowers. They said we don’t need a tour if that’s the case. It’s just a walking distance from municipal hall. Someone from the registration guided us on our way.
*Anyway here’s the tour packages they offer. I would love to go back and avail this. When I go to Sagada, I would make this as part of my trip.
* Finally! We arrived at the Northern Blossom main house. We signed up and pay P200.00 per person. I was asked to choose between Area 1 and Area 2. Area 1 has shorter route but most of the flowers were harvested already because of the recent Panagbenga Festival. Area 2 is untouched but way longer. I chose Area 2 without blinking. Who cares if we get tired?
*I must say the photoshoot started inside the registration house already. The wooden interior made us feel instantly relaxed,
*And finally, the flowers! The tour guide actually know the name and some trivia about the flowers by heart whenever we ask. But who would remember the information anyway. The important is to ENJOY THE FLOWERS!
This door is inviting…promising for more breathtaking views!
Along the way, I met this really cute kid who obviously want his pictures taken.
This is the cabbage rose. Not a flower but a vegetable. Actually Northern Blossom is not new to me a anymore. Local tv show “Kapuso Mo Jessica Sojo” already featured this garden because of its Cabbage Roses. But it was shown long time ago so it slipped out of my mind. The facebook blog reminded me just in time.
TWINNING WITH MY SISTER. I purposely bought same style dresses to wear for this trip so we can have our twinning moments in this farm. I am so prepared I am amazed with myself.
AND MORE PICTURES!!!
BACK TO THE REGISTRATION HOUSE …
After the trip to flowers, we returned to the relaxing registration house. We were humbled to meet the owner of Northern Blossom. He toured us inside their transient house. (Yes you can sleep inside the Northern Blossom Farm)! And he even offered us soda and Benguet coffee.
And another bonus! There were two sweet puppies roaming around the house. They are so friendly they lick you when you touch them. I want to bring them home with me. Even when going back to Baguio, I’m still thinking about them. I miss them so much. They are really sweet.
I FEEL SO ATTACKED!
After this, we ate lunch at the Van station going back to Baguio. It was just a walking distance from Northern Blossom. Just look for Marosan’s Restaurant. The trip going back to Baguio costs P100.00 per person.
Sadly, we did not push through of going to another flower farm which has authentic Sakura due to our mother and her friend were so exhausted already. It was also really hot that time. If you are going to visit, better to ride a bus at around 4am going here. And besides, the locals said that Sakura are not in full bloom yet. I’ll promise I’ll go back in Atok Benguet. Even our bus ride became so enjoyable because of all the breathtaking views of the mountains and rice terraces. I’ll definitely go back to see what Atok, Benguet has to offer. Hopefully the cherry blossoms are already in full bloom that time.
Ending this blog with my most favorite picture, “the hills are alive with sound of music”. It makes sense since my name is Mary which is also Maria.
Hope you enjoy my photo overload post. How about you? What beautiful place have you discovered recently?
Summary
Northern Blossom can be a nice side trip when you are in Baguio or you are on your way to Sagada. Entrance Fee is only P200.00.
From Manila: Victory Liner bus-P455.00, Joy Executive Bus P730.00.
Dangwa Station to Sayangan Municipal Hall Bus. P73.00
Tourist Registration at Municipal Hall
Northern Blossom. P200.00 Entrance Fee.
Van going back to Baguio in front of Marosan Restaurant, P100.00 each.
To contact Northern Blossom, here’s the calling card.
I skipped having any blog post yesterday thus breaking my 30-Day Blogging Challenge. But I have to forgive myself because I was out there, getting out of my comfort zone again and pushed my lazy ass to climb a mountain. It was not my first time but climbing any mountain is still a challenge no matter what. Just like last year, climbing a mountain remind me of these two things: 1. No matter how hard it is, no matter how long the struggle, as long as you make that one step forward, you’ll get to your target destination no matter what. In climbing a mountain, you’ll get overwhelm with slippery mud. You’ll get dirty. You get hurt. But it doesn’t mean you’ll stop. Its okay to rest when you feel exhausted. Its okay that you are the slowest climber. But as you keep moving forward, you will reach the top. If you think about it, it applies so well in our daily life. I have a goal this year, to finish a novel. But lately I got overwhelmed again. With the feelings of insecurities and not feeling good enough to write. But climbing a mountain refreshed my perspective again. I will write everyday keep moving the story forward, even I can only do one sentence in some days. I will appreciate any step I would take. 2. It’s not the summit but the journey. Why do we like to reach the summit? It’s on the top. It has the nicest view where it would be great to take selfies. Reaching the top felt like earning a bragging badge. But you know what, summit is nothing compared to the journey and the memories you had with your friends or evwn strangers while climbing it. Whenever you help each other in a muddy trail. When you share food and drinks. When you have a conversation with someone while walking along the trail. Or sometimes you sing together. When you get hurt and someone will help you. The laughter you share. The bond. The new friendship. It was so hard to get the top. Frustrating. But you keep on moving because of the people with you. There’s so much lesson from the journey than the summit itself. Just like in real life, we see successful people who reached the summit of their lives. We see pictures of them having luxurious lives. But I think people should always look what they went through to get there. They must have sacrificed a lot, shed a lot of tears, had multiple failures and regrets. If we encounter a successful person, I think its best to not concentrate on their success, but the story of their journey. There are.more learnings from there. (The Fault in Our Blogs family)
Finally, some summit photos
Climbing a mountain is surely a torture. But it gets to remind me to strive in life and keep creating sweet memories. Mountain is a great analogy of getting the goals in real life.It might not be my passion. I don’t know when I would climb again. But I am sure it won’t be the last. Day 7 of 30 day blogging challenge. By the way this is Mt. Daguldol of San Juan Batangas. I’ll be blogging more about this trip this coming days. See you tomorrow!
1. No matter how hard it is, no matter how long the struggle, as long as you make that one step forward, you’ll get to your target destination no matter what. In climbing a mountain, you’ll get overwhelm with slippery mud. You’ll get dirty. You get hurt. But it doesn’t mean you’ll stop. Its okay to rest when you feel exhausted. Its okay that you are the slowest climber. But as you keep moving forward, you will reach the top. If you think about it, it applies so well in our daily life. I have a goal this year, to finish a novel. But lately I got overwhelmed again. With the feelings of insecurities and not feeling good enough to write. But climbing a mountain refreshed my perspective again. I will write everyday keep moving the story forward, even I can only do one sentence in some days. I will appreciate any step I would take. 
2. It’s not the summit but the journey. Why do we like to reach the summit? It’s on the top. It has the nicest view where it would be great to take selfies. Reaching the top felt like earning a bragging badge. But you know what, summit is nothing compared to the journey and the memories you had with your friends or evwn strangers while climbing it. Whenever you help each other in a muddy trail. When you share food and drinks. When you have a conversation with someone while walking along the trail. Or sometimes you sing together. When you get hurt and someone will help you. The laughter you share. The bond. The new friendship. It was so hard to get the top. Frustrating. But you keep on moving because of the people with you. There’s so much lesson from the journey than the summit itself. Just like in real life, we see successful people who reached the summit of their lives. We see pictures of them having luxurious lives. But I think people should always look what they went through to get there. They must have sacrificed a lot, shed a lot of tears, had multiple failures and regrets. If we encounter a successful person, I think its best to not concentrate on their success, but the story of their journey. There are.more learnings from there. 
(The Fault in Our Blogs family) 
GUREZU 