Batad Trip:Dec 2012

I wasn't really scheduled to go to Batad last Dec, but I just overheard a lot of nice things about it that I suddenly decided to visit Batad prior to proceeding to Sagada.  It's not that difficult to do if  you are already in Banaue as this town can be your jump-off point to either Sagada or Batad.

So I traveled the town of Banaue via Ohayami bus from their Sampaloc station in Manila and  I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the 2nd and last trip at 10PM.  Most travel blogs say that it is a 9 hour trip but mine took 11-12 hours and our bus didn't encounter any major traffic or construction along the way.

Interestingly, more than half of the bus passengers were non Filipinos (mostly Caucasians).  I kinda felt I was in Europe instead of the Philippines.  Gute nacht fellow passenger.

Once we reached Banaue, I decided to explore Batad first as is it  is more inaccessible and remote, thus requiring more time allotment.  I would just explore Banaue town proper afterwards assuming I still have time. I actually did and I will write a separate blog post about it.

Banaue town proper

From Banaue, you can hire a van, jeep or tricycle to Batad.  Please note that it can be very expensive to hire a vehicle by yourself so try to make new friends so you can split the costs with them.  Yes I know it sounds weird, but I think this is an integral part of the adventure. Backpacking sometimes involves social skills as well.

Anyways, we were able to hire a tricycle for P500 ($12) for a one-way trip to Batad Junction.  The road to Batad junction is really bad, but the scenery compensates for it. From the junction, it is actually a short hike to Batad saddle though you may still be able to hire a van/jeepney to navigate that short stretch which is impassable to some vehicles e.g. tricycles.

Batad Saddle sign - its a 45 min to 1 hour downhill trek
from here to Batad town proper

Energize with fresh coconut juice if you hiked from
Batad junction to the saddle?  

I know the P50 price is slightly more expensive than the usual P40 price in other Philippine provinces.  Bear in mind however that this region is not a coconut growing area and it is quite difficult and costly  to transport goods to Batad. Try bringing a coconut from Banaue town proper to Batad and see if the P10 ($0.25) that you will save is worth the hassle.  The same argument holds true for other non-native items for sale in Batad eg soda, bottled water, Gatorade, etc.

Batad Saddle view of Batad town

The downhill trek from the saddle to the main path leading to Batad town can be taken using two options:

1. the Shortcut - consisting of stone steps without railings. Yes it is a shorter "shortcut" but it can be more difficult even if you are carrying a heavy backpack especially when it is raining.  Mountain trails in the Philippines seem to be always sloped at very high angles to cut down travel time drastically (or save on construction costs).  Unfortunately, this procedure makes it less safe. One misstep and its hello broken bones or worse. I'm not scaring you though; "Ingat lang pre" (just be careful).

2. the Longcut - here, the upper half is mostly paved road so it is easier to navigate.  And it is not that much longer - it is only 0.5 km to the bottom.

These two paths converge at the bottom to a common trail which is now a gently descending trail to  Batad town that will take another 20 to 30 minutes.

Okay now I think I already put in too much text in this post so now I would just rather post photos and let you enjoy the virtual views

Almost there...

Woo hooo!!!

Batad houses: some of them now have more modern designs i.e. GI roofing

Try to go there during planting season eg June.
Dec is not. :(

Ifugao hut at Ramon's homestay:
P300 ($7.30) per person per night

Electricity not provided but they will provide candles.
A headlamp can be quite useful here

IMPORTANT Batad Travel Tips

BRING ENOUGH CASH!! (Philippine Pesos)
Be advised that it is extremely difficult to find ATMs in the Batad-Banaue area.  There is an ATM at a local bank in Banaue town proper, but it was down for two days when I was there back in Dec 2012. So bring enough cash for the entire duration of your trip.

And DO NOT expect establishments to accept VISA, Mastercard or AMEX.

I know these tips seem so obvious, but I met one foreign backpacker who was actually expecting to use her ATMs and credit cards. Sorry mademoisselle, Batad ain't Boracay or Cebu.

*You can use the following as a guide:

1. P100 to P150 per meal  (x3 and you need around P500 for daily food)
2. P1000 for the roundtrip bus fare Manila to Banaue (it was P455 one way to Banaue so I added an allowance for price increases)
3. P50 to P80 for drinks (yea you can get them all cheaper from Banaue or Manila, but they will significantly add to your backpack weight)
4. Van. jeep or tricycle rides vary greatly based on group size, your haggling skills, distance, seasonality and other factors.  P1k to P2k perhaps? The usual scheduled jeepney trips that cost P8/trip are extremely rare in Batad.

Sorry I'm not a fan of providing a very detailed budget trip tables seen in some travel blogs.  I can easily do that for you as I have years of business/financial experience in the US/Philippines. But I won't...Why?

Batad is a trip you have to carefully plan for in advance.  Also, the highly variable nature of the other trip cost components would require a lot more detail and explanations.  I don't want this blog post to read like the reports I churned out at work. Wait, it's starting to look like one.

YOU CAN'T GOOGLE MAP CERTAIN PLACES - Yup I was gonna do that with my cellphone & tethered tablet combo but the cellular signal was so bad, I could not even text.

Instead do research prior to your trip or better yet, hire a local guide.  You  will also be helping the locals; hey it may be cheap to live here, but one still needs money. Prices are not exorbitant  - one local quoted negotiable P500 (approx $12.50) for a trip to Tappiya falls.

Note: It can be difficult to navigate Batad town proper as there are no street signs and visible house numbers.  I guess the locals rely on experience and landmarks to navigate.  After my trip, I thought perhaps it might be possible to obtain a detailed satellite or aerial imagery of Batad so you could figure out the maze-like paths.  I got to try this when I come back.

Behind that cliff wall is supposedly the trail to Tappiya falls.
Well that's what the  young kids on their way to school told me

THERE IS ONLY ONE RETURN TRIP FROM BATAD TO SADDLE: 9AM
Miss that one and you will have to pray that there would be other arriving Batad backpackers who would gladly let a stranger hitch their van going back to Banaue. So try to avoid drinking too much Tapuy rice wine the night before so you can wake up early in the morning.

Or you can make prior arrangements with whoever took you to Batad in the first place.  Most will even give you their contact cell numbers. But as I mentioned previously, cellular coverage in Batad can be quite sketchy.  Perhaps if you knew how to send smoke signals to the other village.  :)

AND OF COURSE, BRING A CAMERA

Catalina Island

This album post is actually still part of my Socal photo adventures from way back.  We got to visit this small  island off the coast of Los Angeles when we joined a yearly Canon event called "Canon Captures Catalina" in September 2009.

Catalina harbor and Casino

Trivia: the "casino" above is not really a casino.  It is actually called a "casino" because the original Italian definition of casino meant "social gathering place" not a place for gambling.

The view during our ascent to the Catalina hills via golf cart

Another view of the harbor from the hills

Fresh oysters prior to our departure

The seabirds of Catalina

Bye Bye Catalina Island

Catalina Island is accessible via daily ferry from Long Beach or Dana Point in Orange County.

Paella: Cerveseria Greenbelt

When I first started this travel blog, I also wanted to create a separate food blog.  However, given that virtually all travels entail dining at the local restaurants, I eventually decided to integrate my food adventures into this same travel blog.  And I noticed that most Pinoy travel blogs always include photos of the local food they tried. Oftentimes, most travel blogs have more food photos than those of the actual scenery!

So for my initial foray into food blogging, we'll feature the Cerveseria restaurant in Greenbelt mall in Makati business district in the Philippines.  I was able to get a Deal Grocer discount and invited a  few friends for lunch from Instituto Cervantes last November.

Nope, this is not your school cafeteria/library hybrid place

Notice the space underneath the table where they kept the unused plates prior to the arrival of customers.  Nice touch.

The cozy unique feel of the restaurant's interior might make you feel you're elsewhere and not realize that just outside is the busy world of  the Philippines' central business district.

Okay enough with the discussion of the place's design, let's get down to the reason why I wrote this post - the food and drink.

My coupon included a pitcher of Sangria which is an important component of Spanish cuisine. Salud!

We also ordered Nacho chips which were not included in the deal grocer coupon.  They had a unique way of way of serving the chips - wrapped in paper placed inside a glass mug.  I've been eating Nachos for seven years in Southern California and this is the first time I've seen them presented like that.

Finally, the piece de resistance arrives!

Here's a closer look at the Paella Cerveseria - with shrimp, soft shell crab, squid, bacon, chorizo, and other good stuff.  It was well worth the approximately 30 minute wait.

The deal grocer coupon which I used last November cost me 615 Philippine pesos and it included the Paella Cerveseria and a pitcher of Sangria.  This combo was supposedly good for 4 people but in our case, 3 hungry people finished it. :)

I just checked the deal grocer and they don't have this Paella/Sangria promo right now.  But Cervseria itself also offers other promos such as the ones below.

Using March 2013 forex rates, the  615 peso coupon would be equivalent to US$15 or 12.60 Euro, which I think is definitely a good deal especially that it is good for 3 to 4 people.

 

You won't even realize that just outside Cerveseria is the
busy world of  the Philippines' central business district

Cerveseria is located at the ground floor of Greenbelt 3 in Makati City.  It is near the fountain area which also has Starbucks and Seattle's Best.

Los Angeles Area

I just realized that I haven't posted photos from the Greater Los Angeles area where I lived and worked for the past six years. Good thing I was still able to archive my much older photos even if they were shot using a film DSLR and a cheap Point and Shoot.

So here you go...

Hollywood Highlands

Long Beach Pier

Long Beach

Griffith Park

Griffith Park

LA Live

This previous photo is a  little more recent than the other photos.  I already had a DSLR with good low light capabilities in 2010.

Non CGI King Kong at Universal Studios

Catalina Island

The Queen Mary

...And your typical suburban Socal neighborhood right before sunset. Home!

Singapore: Marina Bay Sands

If you've noticed, my recent blog posts seem to be alternating between the US and the Philippines.  So, just to break this trend, here is a post for my October 2012 visit to the Lion City - Singapore!

And if you are visiting Singapore, the Marina Bay Sands Hotel is the must-see  tourist attraction.  Since I am a big fan of skyline views, I decided to have lunch at the Sky on 57 restaurant, which is on the topmost floor of the casino hotel owned by Las Vegas- based Sands (the owner of Venetian and Palazzo)

Make sure you are seated outside so you can see the awesome views from the 57th floor.

The business luncheon cost S$50 for the three course and S$60 for the four course which I ordered.  These prices are as of October 2012.

While waiting for your order. the restaurant staff will even lend you Nikon binoculars to check out the fantastic views.

Views like these:

You'll be able to spot some iconic landmarks of Singapore

Which made me regret not bringing my DSLR. Perhaps next time.

The main course finally arrives:

the ever popular Wagyu beef with egg and noodles.

If you are a gambler, you can also join the 

Marina Bay Sands Program for earning rewards points