Club Balai Isabel Part Two.
I did mention that I’ve been to Club Balai Isabel for the second time, right? Well, I don’t feel like writing a review about it now since I’ve already done that last year. So instead of boring you all stupid with my lame writing, I’ll just show you some pictures. :))
Black and white photo of the sea with Taal Volcano on the other side. The sky colors aren’t flattering so I converted it to grayscale instead.
Sunset with Christmas lights(?) in coconut trees. Kinda like a silhouette too, no?
I woke up at 3 AM and thought it’d be great to take a photo of the moon. Result: creepy!
This photo has a 30-second exposure. It was also shot at 3 AM, and I’m telling you, the surroundings weren’t this bright. It’s my first time to take an exposure this long, hence even if the photo makes no sense, it’s still one of my favorites from the set.
Butter on a breakfast bread.
Sun rays through coconut tree leaves. I’m trying to recreate the lens flare effect from an old photo, but I guess I just got lucky then.
These are the type of street shots I love taking, the sort that can give different meanings to the viewer. Mine, for instance, is that of a simple life, back when things were so much easier.
Towering coconut tree. We have a local song about coconuts and it goes like this:
The coconut nut is a giant nut
If you eat too much, you’ll get very fat
Now, the coconut nut is a big, big nut
But it’s delicious nut is not a nut
It’s the coco fruit (it’s the coco fruit)
Of the coco tree (of the coco tree)
From the coco palm family!
The Coron, Palawan Tour: Day 3.
Goodbye summer, hello beaches!
Summer in the Philippines officially ended in May, but beach bumming for me didn’t come until the first week of June. But hey, it’s definitely worth the wait! Day three of our Coron, Palawan trip was full of awesome scenic beaches, it’s hard to believe that our country had this kind of sea beauty.
The following photos were taken from three different islands: Malcapuya, Banana, and, umm… I forgot what the last one was, sorry!
No captions will follow anymore. Let the photos speak for themselves.^_^
The Coron, Palawan Tour: Day 2.
Our second day of the Coron tour started at 9:30 AM. It wasn’t a very nice start of the day because of the strong rain, but an hour later, the pouring subsided. Hooray!
We’ve been to seven different islands on this tour, but I only got very few pictures because I need to prioritize protection of my camera against the seawater. My friends either have Dicapac or waterproof cameras (Sony TX5 is wonderful!) and could take photos without worries, but not me. :-(
So here’s some of ‘em shots I got. They ain’t bad.^_^
Vertical framing of the sea, the boat, and the blue sky. :))
It’s my pair of Havaianas!
It’s Darren’s Sony Cybershot S930 on a mini tripod. Nobody brought the normal-sized tripod so this is the only way we can take group pictures with everyone present in the photo…
Dusk. We’re on our way back to the main island. Exhausting, as always!
The main road to Coron Public Market. No, we didn’t buy anything. The market is just beside the boat docks so we have to pass by it on our way back to the lodging house. :))
You see? Very few pics! The next time I’m gonna go on some island-hopping tour, I’ll make sure I have an underwater gadget with me:(
Experiencing Bohol: A first timer’s tale (DAY 3)
Experiencing Bohol: A first timer’s tale Day 1 -> Click here
Experiencing Bohol: A first timer’s tale Day 2 -> Click here
*****
Departure day.
Dumalaun’s free breakfast was, once again, beyond satisfaction. After eating, we did an hour of swimming and splashing. Well, my friends did, while i become their photographer.
Low tide isn’t nice in some beaches, but it fits perfectly in Panglao. The sea water is very clear, the sand so fine and white. With a beach like this, i guess me and my friends could stay at the water for hours.
Experiencing Bohol: A first timer’s tale (DAY 2)
Experiencing Bohol: A first timer’s tale Day 1 -> Click here
*****
It was already 6 AM when we said good morning to our free breakfast buffet—which tastes really good by the way, unlike other complimentary breakfasts out there—and we ate it with speed because we were due for Dolphin Watching at, well, 6. We embarked on our first activity an hour later… and that’s the start of the very long day.
Dolphin Watching
Not what i was expecting.
I thought this activity will be like a circus show: dolphins in a pool, guided by a trainer, and flaunting their swimming and flying skills off bleachers full of people. I wasn’t even close.
It might have been an hour to eternity—i wouldn’t know because i didn’t have my wrist watch with me—from the time we left the shores of Panglao to the place where the dolphins were supposed to be. Several boats with excited guests were there as well, and we all hovered close together, waiting for dolphins that didn’t seem like coming.
Suddenly, people from a nearby boat screamed excitedly, and we turned our heads to their direction. There—ONE DOLPHIN! It was like seeing a Hollywood star. But the dolphin only stayed visible for two seconds. Then it was gone.
Experiencing Bohol: A first timer’s tale (DAY 1)
Aha, i know what you’re thinking—Chocolate Hills! Yes, thanks to elementary Sibika (or HEKASI) textbooks, i can forget my own name but i don’t think i can ever forget that Chocolate Hills is in Bohol. Like who doesn’t know? :)
As i promised in Facebook, here’s a written account of our 3-day adventure, complete with photos grabbed from three other cameras (I hope you won’t get bored with all the details). I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my dear travel buddies Shiel Gonzaga, Dah Agaton and Jeanielyn Lajara for uploading the pictures pronto. Jo Luna, girl, any chance we’ll see yours within this year? :)
*****
We arrived in Bohol after a nasty flight courtesy of Air Philippines. The sky was cloudy with more Nimbuses than we want to see, and we took it as a dim sign of a rainy vacay. The good news however was that we didn’t need to endure raindrops on our head if ever it did rain. Dumaluan Beach Resort’s airport shuttle was punctual, and several minutes later, me and my best college buddies were on a road trip to the beach as the sun blazed in its 2 PM glory. (Yes, the weather cooperated!)
Because of our delayed flight, it was impossible to follow our original itinerary. To make the long story short, every activity in our package was crammed in a single day: Day Two. Hence, we had Day One freestyle.
Twenty Hours @ Club Balai Isabel (A Review)
Batangas, Philippines is always a favored destination for short getaways by the locals because of its proximity from the country’s capital and the many choices of pool resorts and beaches. Club Balai Isabel is not the brightest star among Batangas’ beach market, but it’s steadily making a way up the ranks of its industry.
Our trip at Balai Isabel last October 3 and 4 was greeted with a very peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. It seems that Balai Isabel is made for unwinding and peeling away the accumulated stress from work. It’s a place where time passes slowly and you wouldn’t mind slowing down with it.
