Adrenaline Romance

El Nido, Palawan Island Hopping Adventure – Tour D: The Souls of Tranquil Shores

Posted by Gian and Sheila on July 18, 2014 in Island Hopping, Palawan

El Nido Palawan Island Hopping Tour D

The Philippines is world-renown for its endless array of stunning beaches that can be considered among the best in the world. And when we say endless, we definitely mean it! The combined coastline of our country’s 7,100-plus islands stretches to more than 36,280 miles, making our coastline the 5th longest in the world! Within that coastline are numerous beaches, each with its own life, beauty, and soul. During our El Nido trip, we were given the privilege to see some of the best and the most unique beaches in the country.

Tags: Bacuit Bay, beaches, Cadlao Lagoon, cliffs, El Nido, El Nido Poblacion, island hopping El Nido, limestone, Natnat Beach, Palawan, Paradise Beach, Pasandigan Beach, snorkeling, swimming, Tour D El Nido Island Hopping Permalink

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El Nido, Palawan Island Hopping Adventure – Tour C: Of Nature’s Secrets and Art

Posted by Gian and Sheila on July 13, 2014 in Island Hopping, Palawan

Mother Nature is an extraordinarily skilled sculptor, an artist that no human can hope to match. She paints skies with dazzling colors and whittles away immense cave systems to form strange cathedrals. Her tools—the wind, sun, rain, river systems—all work in seamless strokes to create masterpieces that enchant even the most unimaginative individual. And we, as Filipinos, are fortunate that we have one of these masterpieces right in our very own country.

Tags: Arkitel Bed and Breakfast, Bacuit Bay, Cadlao Island, El Nido, Helicopter Island, Hidden Beach, island hopping El Nido, Matinloc Island, Matinloc Shrine, Palawan, secret beach, snorkeling, Star Beach, swimming, Tour C El Nido Island Hopping, Victoria Guest House and Cottages Permalink

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Puerto Princesa, Palawan: A Return to Love, Adventure, Serenity, and Nostalgia

Posted by Gian and Sheila on July 3, 2014 in Backpacking, Palawan

Puerto Princesa Adventure

Love is sweeter the second time around! No, don’t get us wrong. We didn’t fight, break up, and reconciled. Rather, Sheila and I have been in this amazing relationship for two years! Yes, two years of love, inspiration, travel, and adventure, and we’re still going strong. In concordance with our love for each other, we wanted to celebrate our second year together by doing something nostalgic and special.

Tags: Anniversary, Baker's Hill, Mitra's Ranch, Palawan adventures, Palawan caving, Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center, Plaza Cuartel, Puerto Princesa, Puerto Princesa Baywalk, Puerto Princesa city tour, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Sabang Bay, Victoria Guest House and Cottages Permalink

Gear Review: Mammut Tusk superDRY 9.8mm x 70m Dry Rope

Posted by Gian and Sheila on June 26, 2014 in Gear Review

Mammut Tusk Superdry Dry Rope

When you’re hundreds of feet up a rock, hanging precariously on your fingertips while stepping on an almost non-existent ledge, you would definitely need to put all your trust on two things. One, your belayer whom you put your life literally on his or her hands; and two, your safety equipment, which can prevent a life-threatening fall. And among the most essential climbing equipment you need to ensure that you live to see another morning is your rope.

Tags: 70 meter dynamic rope, dry rope, dyamic rope, Mammut, Mammut Tusk, Mammut Tusk superDRY 9.8mm x 70m Dry Rope, Rock Climbing, rock climbing safety Permalink

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Poog Cliff: Jump-start a Love for Rock Climbing

Posted by Gian and Sheila on June 20, 2014 in Cebu, Rock Climbing

Rock Climbing in Poog

Too often, we see this scenario: a group of excited and enthusiastic people show up at the crag in Cantabaco to try out the sport of rock climbing for the first time. Usually, guides set up the two classic 5.8 routes—Vulva and Hait—for them to try out. Heaving, huffing, puffing, and screaming, the first-timers make their way up the routes. We usually have this impression that they are very happy with the experience. At last, we often think, we have added a few more members in Cebu’s climbing community.

Tags: Cebu adventure, Cebu extreme adventure, climb Philippines, Climbing, Crag, limestone cliff, limestone crag, limestone monolith, monolith, Poog, Poog cliff, Poog crag, rock climbing in Cebu, rock climbing Philippines, rock climbing site, Scrambling, Toledo Cebu, Trad climbing Permalink

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Mt. Pinatubo: A Monster of Destruction, Creation, and Magnificence

Posted by Gian and Sheila on June 12, 2014 in Mountain Trekking, Tarlac

Mt. Pinatubo

The nation shook, and the world reeled during the cataclysmic event that happened in our country last June 1991. Mt. Pinatubo—a quiet, inconspicuous, and heavily eroded stratovolcano located at the tripoint of Zamales, Tarlac and Pampanga provinces in the Philippine island of Luzon— suddenly roared to life and released its fury. The force of the eruption was so great that volcanologists categorized the event as one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in the 20th century, reaching Plinian/Ultra-Plinian levels.

Tags: Bognot homestay, Holy Week, Holy Week adventure, Lahar, Lahar canyon, Lake in Mt. Pinatubo, Lake Pinatubo, Mt. Pinatubo, Mt. Pinatubo eruption, Pinatubo caldera, Pinatubo crater, Pinatubo Homestay, Pinatubo lahar canyon, Pinatubo lahar fields, rebirth, Sonia Bognot, Volcanic eruption, volcano Permalink

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Nagsasa Cove: Nature’s Cradle of Healing and Rebirth

Posted by Gian and Sheila on May 29, 2014 in Island Hopping, Zambales

Nagsasa Cove in Zambales

Rebirth is part of Mother Nature’s cycle. But often, this aspect of the cycle can be so subtle that it evades human perception. Indeed, Mother Nature’s rebirth can take years, decades, or even centuries to become evident. Often, it is necessary to travel far and wide to see how she heals herself after being ravaged by humans or after being a victim of her own uncontrollable temper.