The Year I've become a traveller

2014 TRAVELS

List of places I've been for the past year

2014 is a memorable one mainly because of the following:

1. I started this blog TARA GUMALA. 

2. I started travelling and organized DIY travels. 

3. I got a life insurance. 

4. I traveled with my family.

5. I got a chance to do a volunteer work before the year ends. 

Hoooraaaaahhhh!

Okay, I do not know how to start this, I'm in a dilemma whether to present it chronologically or based on my favorite spots. :) I guess, to avoid any biases, I will just have to go with the chronologically order. 

1. Baler, Aurora

2. Calaguas Island, Camarines Norte

3. Albay, Bicol

4. Subic Beach, Sorsogon

5. Rock Formation, Biri, Northern Samar

6. Apo Reef, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro

7. Puerto Princesa, Palawan

8. El Nido, Palawan

9. Boracay Island, Aklan

10. Davao City + Samal Island

11. Mt. Pulag National Park, Benguet

12. Sitio Yangka, Capas, Tarlac

Puro local lang travel ko for 2014, how about in 2015? :)

Wow, it was like I travelled every month. Amazing! Thank you Lord for this year of travel, for keeping me safe always.


Cheers to more years of travels! Cheers to endless wanderlust! Cheers, TARA GUMALA! :)


Thank you for travelling with me, looking forward to our future travels.

Ano, TARA GUMALA?


CIAO. 
--
GABRIELA

4D/3N Trip to El Nido

EL NIDO, PALAWAN

DO - IT - YOURSELF ITINERARY

Do - it - yourself is very convenient compared with those tour you directly get from an agency because of the following reasons:
1. It is cheaper especially if you are a group of 5 or more.
2. You can adjust it to your preferred time. You control your own time.
3. It will help you learn new things about the place and meet new people (without any broker).
As I have said in my Prequel about our trip to El Nido, my friends and I chose the Plan A. Booking your flight months ahead your preferred date has pros and cons. The flight schedule might change, the weather is unpredictable, or worst, some of your companions will no longer join the trip because of personal reasons. These are all inevitable and as the planner (NAKS!), you should be open with changes. 

Credits to AirAsia for giving us a complimentary change of schedule! Yey! We changed our flight schedule to the most convenient time for all of us. Oohh, their pilot is well trained as he managed to properly descend in the short runway of Puerto Princesa plus he is good looking. HAHA.  Also, I would like to commend AirAsia for their convenient payment thru 711 branches! (This is most suitable for non-credit card users like me) My roundtrip ticket only costs 1,782.56.

Going back. Here is our final itinerary!

Special thanks to the following:

• Clarianes Family in Puerto Princesa especially, Christine Ann for welcoming us with open arms plus touring us around the town at minimal cost!

• Kuya German our driver from Puerto Princesa to El Nido v.v. If you are looking for a van to hire going to Underground River and/or El Nido, feel free to contact him with these numbers. He will give you discounts if you tell him I was the one who referred you.

Mobile Numbers

• (+63) 949-962-6629 (Smart)
• (+63) 926-716-2385 (Globe)

• NORTHERN HOPE TOURS | Specializing in El Nido Island Hopping and more..

Ate Neriza is very easy to deal with. She gave me a hefty discounts on our two-day island hopping. I am sure that she will also give you discount if you tell her that you were referred by me. 

You can reach her with these number: (She will quickly response on your inquiries)
 

E-mail: northernhopetours@gmail.com
Mobile Numbers

• (+63) 939-902-2216 (Smart)
• (+63) 927-735-3221 (Globe)
• (+63) 942-375-2441 (Sun)

Facebook: facebook.com/NorthernHopeTours

Website: http://www.northernhopetours.com



I will be posting more about my trip in El Nido and some review of places we have been. Thank you! If you have any questions feel free to do so. 


ANO, TARA  GUMALA?



CIAO.
--
GABRIELA.

Itinerary to El Nido

El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

The Prequel

Miniloc Island

This is the most famous tourist destination in the country. It gained popularity when foreigners started publicizing everything about it, especially when CNNGo featured it as one of the Best Beaches in the World. Well, for a simple Filipino like me, El Nido is really expensive. We all know that when a place becomes touristy, people will make a living out of it and expect everything will be overcharged. Anyway, I am not here to dismay you but yeah, El Nido is really expensive THOUGH I managed to minimize my expenditures there! I only spent 6,000++ ALL IN! It includes my Return Airplane Tickets with Baggage allowance, Food, Transpo from Puerto Princesa to El Nido (v.v), Tours and Accommodation! How is that even possible? Did I get it from Ensogo or MetroDeal or CashCashPinoy? Hell no!

Want to know my secret? Don't worry I will share it to you.

I have a group of friends from college, they are now my fellow social work buddies. Yea, we are all REGISTERED SOCIAL WORKER! I influenced them to have a budget travel with me. Being a Social Worker is very exhausting, physically, emotionally and mentally, since we are dealing with people. A short vacation is a must for us!

Last January, I saw a promo fare in Air Asia and immediately contacted them. We were a group of 10 and they did not hesitate at all, which why I love them. "WALANG ARTE" all of us were very eager to explore the place. Since, I was the one who initiated this, I had to organize everything. That was no biggie for me because organizing a Do - It - Yourself travel is very worth it.

Social Workers on the go! :)

I really believe in a Management Theory of "Cheaper by a Dozen". I had lots of discount, since we were a group of 10.

To cut the story short, after few days of researching the most feasible, tangible and cheapest ways of exploring El Nido, I came up with two options! I called them Plan A and Plan B.


Plan A.

Plan B.

 

My friends chose the Plan A, because it's cheaper and we were discouraged with the Underground River because of its availability.

If you were to choose? Which one will you prefer? Plan A or Plan B? Let me know your insights.

My next post is about how we managed to spend less in El Nido and my contact persons. So watch out for that.


Ano, Tara Gumala?


CIAO.
--
GABRIELA

Revisiting the Magical Coron

When I was in College, me and my friend Gela always wanting to go places and one of those is Coron or somewhere in Palawan. Also, I had this professor, Ms. Lani, who said that Coron is the most beautiful among the top three tourist destination in Palawan (El Nido, Puerto Princesa and Coron) because of its clear water, laid back ambience and rock formations plus a very budget friendly one. :) So when I got the chance to go there and found a cheap air fare, go win fight na to! :D

Arriving from the YKR Airport (Busuanga), we had a slight problem because the tripod of my companion was not in the carousel of check in baggage. Imagine the hassle that Cebu Pacific welcomed me and letting our van wait for us for almost half an hour. Good thing the tripod was not missing, it was not loaded in the aircraft. -___-


Moving on!

Since my companion grew up there looking for a cheap place to stay was not a problem. We stayed at MAJIKA 4. Ate Majie, the owner of the place welcomed us with open arms even though she was busy doing something, which was really sweet. The place is so nice, it is an old rustic house but she maintained it well.

Me with Ate Majie <3

After settling down, we went to Mt. Tapyas and DAMN those stairs! HAHA. My heart pounded like it never pounded before. When I reached the top, it was all worth it! The breeze was so refreshing and I had the 360 degrees view of Coron Town plus there was a rainbow! Amazing! Also, the perfect time to go there is sunset. Sunset in Coron is priceless. Just be careful on the way down because there are no lights to guide you and beware of those notorious mosquitoes!

If you are a solo traveler island hopping is expensive. That is why boatmen or travel agents arrange a trip of what they called "joiners." Joiners is made up of different travelers but has the same tour or destination that come together to save. Being a joiner is fun, you will meet different people and it is cheaper! Anywho, Ate Majie allowed us to join the group who is going to have a Coron Bay Tour which includes Cayangan Lake, Barracuda Lake and CYC Beach. 

I thought Cayangan Lake was the best but I was wrong, Barracuda Lake is way better!

Ahhhh! Paradise!

Sun, Tree Shade and Sand at CYC Beach.

We were dropped off at the Coron Port and walked to the Majika 4. Ate Majie invited us if we want to try scuba diving and we immediately said yes. Early that morning we went to Majika Island Resort because the Dive Down Under is based there. Majika Island Resort is situated in Bintuan near Sangat. When travelling by land it will take you 45 minutes - 1 hour then another 20 minute boat ride to get to Majika Island Resort. At far, you will not think that there is a resort there but as we come nearer, I can see the natural beauty that Majika has. It is a secluded place and Ate Majie owns the whole island. 

Bintuan Walk. Mangroves at its best.

Beachfront of Majika Island Resort

Who will not love this peaceful place?? Ahh! Majika Island Resort is really a place to rest and stay in Coron with the cheapest price. 

After eating breakfast, we went to the Dive Shop to find a suit and fins that fits. After we  We went to a site and had a briefing on how to dive. Dive Master Kuya Marlon taught us all the basics in the simplest way. HAHA. I think I was inspired to have an intro to diving lessons and have my license. :) 

On our last day in Coron and this is my birthday. Ate Majie invited us if we want to join the group that will be going to Culion. It is another municipality in Palawan and part of the Calamian group of Islands together with Coron. It is well - known as it is the first leper colony in the country. Accordingly, it used to have its own coins because of the stigma about leprosy. The place is very historical as well as its architecture. On our way to Culion, we saw dolphins! PERFECT PRESENT, e? :)  The water in their port is so clear. You can even see corals and fishes from above! On our way to our next destination, we were lucky to see a Philippine Eagle soaring in the sky and dived for a fish! It was so awesome because it is very unusual to see that. 

We had lunch at Sand Bar, an island owned by Ate Majie. It has white sand and a tree in the middle of the sea. Amazing! It was so perfect, celebrating my birthday on an island! We had grilled parrot fish and Sargent fish, pork adobo with pineapple, and steamed crabs! Yummmmmy! After the sumptuous lunch, I played with the kids and it was fun. It's been a long while since I played with kids.

So what is the perfect way to end this magical adventure in Coron?? A perfect uphill trek before sunset new found friends and being in the hammock! Everything is so eerie. 

My whole trip in Coron is very enchanting special thanks to Ate Majie of MAJIKA Tours. :) I enjoyed everything and learned things that I will treasure for the rest of my life! I highly recommend MAJIKA Tours if you are going to Coron, I assure that you won't regret it! You can reach them with these numbers!


MAJIKA ISLAND RESORT & TOURS 
St. Augustine St. Barangay 4 Poblacion, 5316 Coron, Palawan 
(+63) 919-316-9030 
(+63) 908-731-6543 
(+63) 917-856-3187 

majikaislandresort@yahoo.com. 



Add them up on facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/MajikaTours 

ANO, TARA GUMALA??

CIAO.

--

GABRIELA