Whew! We never had the slightest expectation, but 2013 turned out to be a superb adventure-filled year! No, Team Sweetie is not exaggerating. The fact that virtually every weekend, we were somewhere out there, away from the warmth and comfort of our own home, is a testament to our hunger for exploration, discovery, adventure, and a healthy dose of adrenaline. And in undertaking each heart-stopping adventure, in planning and visiting each unique destination, in witnessing a magical sunrise, in partaking of a unique cultural heritage, we grow stronger…not just as a fun-loving couple, but also as steadfast advocates in appreciating, respecting, and protecting the Philippines’ indescribably beautiful treasures.
We climbed our very own Cebu Island’s magnificent peaks. They may not be the highest mountains in the country, but that doesn’t mean their beauty is wanting. Cebu’s mountains are definitely gorgeous.
We climbed new mountains that gave us a whole different view of our beloved Cebu. It made us proud to be Cebuano adventurers.
Not only did we climb closer to heaven by going up mountains, but we also explored the strange world under the bowels of the earth by crawling inside dark caves.
We discovered fun-filled, affordable venues that are jam-packed with exciting adventures for people of all ages at Papa Kits Fishing Lagoon and Marina.
Sampling our mouthwatering culinary masterpieces is an adventure on its own, an adventure that brings you closer to our proud history and culture. And Liloan’s Food Market is the epitome of great-tasting local cuisine at a price that’s friendly on the pocket.
Cruising the tranquil and picturesque Bojo River in Aloguinsan, Cebu was not only fun, but it was also educational. Our fishermen guides taught us the biology of our rivers, highlighting the importance of protecting our waterways. And by availing of such cruises, we were able to help promote sustainable eco-tourism.
We discovered charming, sunny, sandy beaches that rival the world’s best carefully tucked in Cebu’s municipalities.
Our first anniversary was nothing short of grand. We celebrated our special event by visiting one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, the Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan, the Philippines’ last frontier. And as the adrenaline junkies that we are, we explored a cave, zip lined across farms, came face-to-face with crocodiles, visited historical sights, snorkeled on top of a reef, and cruised to sunny sandbars.
We cruised around the sandy islands beyond Mactan, which are truly small pockets of tropical paradises.
We screamed at the top of our lungs, flew over churning waters, paddled hard, and hanged on for our dear lives as we rode a fast raft over the magnificent Cagayan de Oro River. It was an unforgettable wet, wild, and fun whitewater rafting adventure.
We set foot on Camiguin, the Island Born of Fire, and were mesmerized by its stunning natural wonders.
Instead of going to the beach last summer, we had multiple adventures in the verdant mountain resort of Mambukal in Negros.
We have always been nature lovers. But our advocacy to protect Mother Nature became even stronger when we visited our very own Buhisan Watershed and saw first-hand how fragile it is.
Sweetie’s birthday was special. We had our first snorkeling experience in the secluded Hermit’s Cove in Aloguinsan. The experience introduced us to the alien world under the sea. It also made us realize the immense value that healthy coral reefs provide to our environment.
Adventuring doesn’t always mean that we had to be away with society. In fact, we made new friends, listened to a concert, and had a party up Mt. Manunggal, Cebu’s most historic mountain.
Our second grand trip in 2013 was a long 835-kilometer road trip along the Caraga Region in Mindanao, traversing four provinces, making it our farthest backpacking trip so far. We visited enchanting, magnificent, and rare natural treasures that could easily land the country in the international tourism spotlight.
Supertyphoon Yolanda struck our country with unrivaled ferocity. Everyone, from young children to international organizations, did their part in helping the victims of the storm. We did ours by helping out through Red Cross, donating and distributing relief goods, and feeding the victims in evacuation centers.
Being able to help others stand up on their feet amidst suffering is the best reward one can ever have. We took part of a massive relief and medical operation, organized by fellow Cebuano outdoorsmen, in the devastated Malapascua Island, Northern Cebu.
We met, climbed together, and enjoyed company with rock climbing enthusiasts from all over the Philippines during the annual Lust for Lime event.
Three valuable life lessons we learned in rock climbing: 1) you can reach your goal if you make up your mind, 2) you won’t get to your goal unless you take the first step, get off the ground, and forget your doubts, and 3) failure, falling, and stumbling are just words; they’re just misaligned but necessary steps towards success.
We lived life on the edge! We had a blast (and Sweetie got the scare of a lifetime) during our first multipitch climb in Cantabaco.
From the high mountain peaks, we went under tropical waters to experience what it is like to be a fish in the unexplored alien world under the sea. Jonjie, our dive instructor, introduced us to our first scuba diving experience and showed us the lovely coral reefs that form the perimeter of Mactan Island.
We sampled many of our country’s exotic meals, foods that helped define our culture and made us what we are.
In our trips, we also witnessed man’s cruelty to Mother Nature. We saw the magnitude of his carelessness and destructive power.
But we also saw the best of man. He can be the forefront of the race to preserve, save, and enhance the gifts of Mother Nature.
We became extremely proud and happy of our citizens’ ingenuity and creativity despite our country’s drawbacks.
One of the best parts of adventuring is that we get to meet a lot of new friends with the same passion and spirit as us. We will treasure them for the rest of our lives.
We would like to say thank you to the amazing guides who wholeheartedly and gladly assisted us in our adventures. They have a special place in our hearts, and we know that without them, many of our adventures would have remained a dream.
A huge thanks to our loved ones and friends who supported us, one way or another, in our passion to bring you the exciting adventures, magnificent wonders, one-of-a-kind places, and rich cultural heritages that makes the Philippines the best country in the world.
Finally, we would like to thank the most important people of all, you dear readers and followers, who contributed to the success of this blog. As of this posting, with 88 total posts, Adrenaline Romance has acquired the following statistics, thanks to you:
- 68,498 views
- 88 blog followers
- 879 Twitter followers
- 1,837 Facebook followers
- 430 Facebook Page likes
Happy New Year, friends! We hope you will have an exciting, peaceful, pleasant, and adventure-filled 2014! Stay safe, rock on, and let the new adventures begin! 
Adrenaline Romance 
Happy New Year!
So sweet! Have you guys visited Aklan? Happy New Year!
Hi Angelica,
Thank you for the compliment. Happy new year to you too! May your 2014 be filled with more adventures. 🙂
No, we haven’t visited Aklan yet. But now that you mentioned it, we may check if our budget and schedule for 2014 can accommodate a trip there. Can you provide us a list of interesting spots and adventures there? Thank you!
[…] learned a lot this year. Together with his sweetheart (Team Sweetie, all the way, pare!), they climbed walls and mountains, went spelunking, traveled to Palawan and more. Through their adventures, they discovered some very important […]
Wow! You guys have just been going strong for over a year! I thought you were already a couple of many years – you seem to have that energy. 😉 I’ve always admired the dynamics between you two and your partnership. 😉
Here’s to more adventures giving that heady rush of adrenaline and romance this 2014! 😉
Thank you for the compliment. Happy New Year to you too. We’re pretty sure you’re going to have more fun adventures this year!
We have been together for almost two years. 🙂 We guess that our strong passion in adventuring, exploring other places, discovering less-known sites, and living life on the edge has fueled the dynamics between us.
Wow, you guys really did have an amazing year! We feel the same way. All the best for a great 2014.
Hi The GypsyNesters,
Thank you so much for visiting our blog. We’re glad that you had great adventures too. You have an amazing blog.
Happy New Year, and may your 2014 be filled with many adrenaline-rushing adventures. 🙂
You had an adventure filled 2013. That’s good, something to be really thankful about.
Hi Mitch Ryan,
Thank you for taking time to check out our blog. Yup, 2013 was an adventure-filled year for us, but we plan to break the record this 2014. Fingers crossed.
Happy new year, and may your 2014 be blessed with good health, cool blessings, and amazing adventures!
Congratulations on a very exciting, fun-filled and wondrous 2013. 2014 should be equally as exciting. Have a healthy and prosperous New Year and hopefully you will continue to do what you do best.
Cheers!
Hi Meylou,
Happy new year to you too! May 2014 fill you and your family with health, prosperity, and blessings!
We’ll sure add more adventures this 2014. Stay tuned. 🙂
Very interesting. You both brought me to places I haven’t heard of and it’s quite spectacular. Congratulations and more power to you both. Keep it going !
Hi Cherry,
Thank you and Happy New Year! We do hope to visit less familiar places this 2014, and we now have a preliminary lineup of them.
After all, the primary aim of this blog is to promote adventures and Philippines’ lesser known destinations.
Wow! You filled your 2013 with adventures and wishing you a great 2014!
Hi Christian Melanie Lee,
Thank you and Happy New Year! May your 2014 be filled with good health, prosperity, great blessings, and exciting adventures!
Adventure-filled, indeed! I have really wanted to go rock-climbing but I just don’t have the time! Haha! Besides, the hubby can’t last that kind of activity. 😦
Cheers and have more adventures to write about this 2014! ^_^
Hi Angel,
Thank you and Happy New Year. Rock climbing is an awesome sport; actually, we’re addicted to it. 🙂 Originally, we decided to learn rock climbing as an “accessory” to mountaineering, which was supposed to be our main sport. For example, if someone or something (e.g. a backpack, an important piece of equipment) falls off a cliff, then we can use our rock climbing skills to rescue a fellow mountaineer or to retrieve an item.
However, we quickly got passionate on rock climbing, and it has become our “main” sport.
Please do tell us if you and your hubby want to try out rock climbing in Cantabaco, Cebu. We’ll be more than happy to refer you to the local guides so you can experience the thrill of the sport.
Wow your 2013 was really filled with lots of adventures and travelling. Wish I could do that with my bf :3 – Erin
Hi Promocodesforyou,
Thank you and happy new year. It really was, but we’re planning for more awesome adventures in 2014.
Regarding you and your bf adventuring together, why not? It’s pretty cool!
I can see in your photos that you have a wonderful, fun and adventure filled 2013. Traveling is one of my passion and I hope I can also go to the places you have been 🙂
Hi Sherlane,
Happy new year, and thank you so much. Indeed, 2013 was a great year for us, and we’re planning to have even more adventures in 2014!
Wishing you luck on your travels and have fun!
I have some catching up to do on your blog! I love your posts. They’re not only enticing, but useful to anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps. After reading this I think the Philippines will have to go to the top of my list of places to visit in 2014 – the only problem will be narrowing it down!
Hi Brownyn Joy,
Happy new year and thanks for the compliment. We do hope other readers find our blog useful as you do.
Do visit the Philippines; we have an endless plethora of unique sights and exciting adventures for you.
TOTALLY love this!!! Specially the t-shirts! What a happy adventurous couple you are 🙂
Hi Raphael,
Thank you very much and happy new year!
What a power couple! Hope you’ll have more exciting trips to share this year!
Hi Kitkit,
Happy new year and thank you for the compliment. We’ll definitely have more adventures this year. 🙂
Excellent excellent post, you guys!
Hi Leylander,
Happy new year, bal Leylander, and thank you so much for stopping by.
Bai, we really need to have our “suroy” plans straightened out and realized. 🙂
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