Inaki and Timmy at night

Cool Nina in Fort Ilocandia room

The following photos were taken on a Holy Week vacation which coincided with the birthday of Timmy, April 15.

Timmy blowing birthday cake candles

Tiimmy birthday picture with Nina and Inaki

The kids liked it particularly because it has 3 swimming pools, one is Olympic-sized, another is deep and the third a smaller kiddie pool with a slide.

Joey taking a dip

Miren and Timmy night-swimming

Inaki and Timmy in deep pool

Timmy in kiddie pool

The beach is the widest I have seen and form part of the famous dunes although the sea is a bit rough and deepens quickly.

Kite is up

Kite is down

The next photos are of Miren and myself in Paoay.

Joey on steps of Paoay Church

Joey exploring Paoay Church

Paoay Church

Miren at garden of old house

Joey in the Malacanang of the North

Power and the paved national highway only got to Hinoba-an in the last decade. There is very little industry except for fishing and agriculture. There was a big lumber concession that basically denuded the mountains where there was also large scale mining which likewise stopped some time ago. Most of the town was made up of large haciendas owned by a few families and these were mostly broken up by land reform programs. My mother-in-law maintains her home there and most of their family retains landholdings which includes most of Happy Valley, the best beach area.

There are a few resorts with modest accommodations. The more popular one is called Happy Valley Resort which is owned by relatives of Miren. Hinoba-an is very popular with the Bacolod crowd but the distance will require at least an overnight stay. Since our last trip there, I heard that more resorts and vacation houses were being built. On one hand, this should be welcomed developments to the town. On another, there goes another paradise.

View south from Sipalay lighthouse

Inaki, Timmy and Nina

Before Hinoba-an is Sipalay. On a hill by the sea there is lighthouse offering a stunning view.

Happy Valley Brick House

Happy Valley Sea Wind Cottage

Happy Valley Wind Blown Cottage

Happy Valley Garden Huts

Happy Valley Resort had about 5 structures with quite a number of airconditioned rooms. There are a number of Dream TV dishes around but I am not sure if all the rooms have televisions. Some of the cottages have cooking facilities and there is a grill that can be used. Meals and refreshments can be arranged with the resort staff but there is no formal restaurant.

Beach view south

Beach view north

The sand in Happy Valley is golden brown. There are no corals fronting the resort and the sea floor slopes down gradually making it ideal for kids.

Neska Bilbao

Chabeli Bilbao

The Bilbao-Carlotta and Alba-Bilbao Cousins

We often vacation with my brother-in-law Jimmy Bilbao, his wife Joana, and their 2 beautiful, charming and very intelligent girls Neska and Chabeli.

Dinner

Roasting Marshmallows

Nina and I are flying to Bacolod for Holy Week to spend the holidays with rest of the family and a trip to Hinoba-an is included. We are staying on after Holy Week for the graduation rites of Timmy.

Miren and I hope to retire here someday.

written by  Joey Carlotta on January 14, 2008 from Hinoba-an, Philippines
from the travel blog: Previous Trips - Visayas
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With their current ages come greater concerns and prospects. Nina is already working after graduating from DLSU and agreed on this trip to go to Canada with Mirens sister after she visits on July this year. Inaki is struggling with some challenges in his life at the moment that can affect his life in the future which I hope will be in Canada as well. And Timmy is about to graduate from high school in a couple of months and is preoccupied with what to take and where to go for college.

Miren and I are getting older as well. I can’t tell you how old Miren is under threat of bodily harm and the gentleman that I am but I am turning 50 in a couple of months. Definitely, trips like this last one are getting too tiring for me. Miren, shame on her, didn’t even make it up the tower of the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse. We both also have our own sets of worries and dreams but are excited and looking forward to what life has to throw at us. We will be 25 years married in another year.

So, was the trip worth driving 1,332 kilometers and spending nearly P37,000 in 6 days while withstanding the discomforts associated with being away from home? Definitely! And I would do it again in a heartbeat. No amount of money can buy the memories you make so such trips. The images that you take with your minds eye and store in your heart will outlive any photo you take on film or using a digital camera. And it has become a tradition, a trademark if you will, of our family which I hope the kids will carry on with their own families some day as both Miren and I have.

So, as the late, great Dale Rogers wrote and sang,

Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.
It's the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here's a happy one for you.

Happy trails to you until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you 'till we meet again.

Happy trails!

Landing Party

The good-looking and dashing fellow in the foreground is Tito Charlie. The gentleman immediately behind Tito Charlie and the first two people getting down the boat ramp are the Guidotes from Manila, good and long time friend of Tito Charlie. The guy in the yellow and stripped shirt is my cousin, Edmund Afzelius. The 2 guys infront and behind him are the Tirol brothers. They are also my cousins but I just met them through Edmund on our first trip there. They are all based in Iloilo. Miren and I had gotten off the boat first and I took this picture.

White Sand

Blue Water

Boracay was truly beautiful. I can only imagine what it was like before all the over-development took place. Unfortunately, it has gone the way that Baguio did. A recent article in the newspaper mentioned flooding and sewage spilling onto the beach. Still, it is an amazing site and experience for the first-time visitor and nonetheless enjoyable the next times you come. But this national treasure must be saved and protected.

TNT Entrance

TNT Cottage

The first time we went, we stayed at the TNT Resort right smack in the middle of Boat Station 2. It was a very pleasant place with lots of garden and trees. The construction of the cottages and eating areas were all of bamboo and nipa. The rooms were very comfortable and had all the amenities you could need including airconditioning, cable TV and clean bathrooms with hot showers. The resort even had a tennis court. I don't recall the menu being too extensive but you could buy food in the market nearby and have this cooked. More importantly, the beer was cold. The owners are friends of Edmund and we were well attended to. I dream of going back there.

Edmund Relaxing

Joey and Miren at Fairways and Bluewaters

Drink, Eat and Be Merry

All Aboard

Suffice it to say, we had a fantastic time in paradise. In the day time, there was the clear blue water to enjoy. Those who cared for it played tennis. I went scuba diving once but the sea life was not too impressive. There was also the talipapa where we bought souvenirs and fresh seafood. The restaurants up and down the boardwalk present quiet an wide and varied choice of food. We explored the island and even rented some dirt bikes to get around. At night, the whole strip turned into a party place. There was bar-hopping and disco-dancing and sitting around listening to live performances right on the beach. I look forward to taking the kids here soon. I hope it isn't too spoiled yet.

written by  Joey Carlotta on January 8, 2008 from Caticlan, Philippines
from the travel blog: Previous Trips - Visayas
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The following pictures were taken when my brother-in-law got married in Bacolod about 7 or 8 year ago. My sister-in-law, Amaya Bilbao Del Castillo, came with her daughter, Sarah, for the occasion and we did a side trip to Lakawon.

The Bride and the Groom

Amaya and Sarah

Miren, Inaki and the flower girl, Timmy

Joey in barong

From the national road in Cadiz, you will be directed to enter a dirt road which will lead you to the shore after a distance. There is a secured parking lot where you can leave your car and arrange for a banca to take you to the island. The is no wharf and the beach there is shallow so you will have to wade to the boat and carry you bags and packages.

Nina and Sarah walking to boat

Wading to boat

Sarah,Amaya and her friend from Canada

Timmy and Inaki walking to boat

You can see the island in the distance and the boat ride in not very far. The water is usually calm in the morning when one would normally go there but it tends to get choppy and rough in the afternoon on the way back.

Boatride for Amaya and Sarah

Boatride for Nina

The island was not very developed at the time. There was a fishing village on one side of the island with the resort occupying the rest. There were sevaral beach huts for rent and there were a few cottages for overnight stays. There also was a dining area and a restaurant. I believe there is a fully operational resort now. Thank God because there was scant little shade on the island and it could get really hot by noon.

Miren, Inaki and Timmy

The troop

Timmy in the shade

Amaya in the shade

The best part is the clear blue water that everyone enjoyed.

Nina in water

Kids swimming

Miren on Lakawon beach

Swimming in clear water

Before this trip even came to end, we were planning our next ones. There is the trip this summer driving our other car back to Manila after we close the house in Bacolod. We are also planning to take Mirens sister to the north when she visits on June. There is also the missed legs to Banaue and Sagada via Halsema. I would also like to be able to drive further south past Sariaya in Quezon and visit other eastern provinces such as Aurora. I have traveled abroad on several occasions but Miren hasn't and I would like to take her even to Hong Kong or Singapore this year. Our dream is to backpack through Europe someday. More than anything else, these are the stuff that keeps us going and looking forward to the next break or vacation.

But for now, home beckons.

Total expense for the day was P4,519. Final odometer reading was 1,332 kilometers.

Trusty Steed

Joey, Timmy and Miren on Session Road

I dropped the troop near the market after lunch and I headed back to the hotel for some shut eye. Having lived in Baguio, I maintain that the 2 best things to do there are eat and sleep. We first took up residence in Baguio when my father took a job with Lepanto in San Fernando, La Union in the 70’s. Already, the elders were moaning about the dwindling pine trees, over-development, traffic and influx of lowlanders. They must be rolling in their graves. Still, I miss those times.

Inaki on Session Road

They got back by late afternoon with vegetables and fruits, souvenirs and ukay-ukay finds. There was just enough time to get ready for dinner with the Kathy Sulit, who I work with, and her family. Her husband, Caloy, works for the SEC and he had his turn with their cooperatives’ vacation condo which is located in a subdivision along Kennon Road. We bought some dessert along the way and found the house within half an hour. Caloy and Kathy have 3 beautiful children, Trisha, Zoe and Fiona. Fiona, or Pipay as she is fondly called, provided most of the entertainment. We had barbecue and chopsuey and Caloy and I put a dent on a fifth of scotch. It was quite late by the time we called it a night but the company was enjoyed and welcomed and a good time was had by all.

Nina on Session Road

Total expense for the day including shopping was P6,940.

written by  Joey Carlotta on January 6, 2008 from Baguio, Philippines
from the travel blog: 2007 Carlotta X'Mas Family Road Trip
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Nina, Inaki and Timmy with Bangui Windmill background

Joey and Miren on Bangui Windmill Farm view deck

The first stop was the windmill farm in Bangui about 30 minutes after leaving Pagudpud. You can get a close up view of some of the windmills from the road but the best is from a view deck a bit further down the road. There are 7 or 8 windmills which, together with the countryside scenery, present a good background for photos. The view deck is also a store where souvenirs are also sold.

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse marker.

Not much further down the road there is the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos. Coming from Pagudpud you must keep an eye out for it. The lighthouse is high up the hill to the left of the road and the sign is facing the wrong way. It’s a short drive up the hill and you can park at the base of a stairway leading up the lighthouse complex. After 42 steps you enter the lighthouse property where you are met with what else but more steps. You will come across a small museum upon entering the main building and then there are even more steps up to the base of the tower itself. We had to wait our turn up the tower but we had the good fortune of meeting the amiable lighthouse keeper who regaled us with some stories. When our turn came it was still more steps up the spiral staircase to the top. Considering that this was built during the Spanish era, I have to wonder at the engineering and technology employed. Don’t forget the contribution box on your way out of the tower. All the steps down were equally murderous to a different set of muscles. Including the long walk in San Juan of 2 day ago, the pain would stay with me for a good week.

Steps,

more steps,

and even more steps

to the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Lantern.

We skipped Laoag and stopped at about noon for lunch in the town of San Nicolas although we would have all loved to visit Fort Ilocandia which is a family favorite. Lunch was Shakey’s Pizza in a very modern mall ala Greenbelt 3. The complimentary newspaper in the restaurant, the first we read in 3days, mentioned something about President Arroyo visiting the town fiesta of Santa probably landing and coming from Laoag. This was evident from all the people waiting in the roadsides heading south. This did not help the drive which was slow and I turned over the wheel to Miren nearing La Union. We passed the San Juan Surf Resort at around 5 PM and the odometer was at 955 kilometers. We used the bypass in San Fernando to avoid the city proper traffic but it still took another hour to get to Bauang from San Juan where we loaded gas before turning left onto Naguilian Road. The drive up to Baguio went relatively well with the exception to a military convoy, most likely related to the Arroyo visit there, that we had to pass. The convoy was led by something that looked like a tank but with large tires. It took another hour to get to Baguio from Bauang and we arrived promptly at 7 PM.

Joey and Miren at doorway to Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

Joey and Miren in Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

Nina in the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse grounds

Timmy, Joey and Inaki finally make it to the top

We checked in at our usual Price Plaza Hotel along Legarda Road. After a bath and a bit of rest, we had dinner in a Korean restaurant across the hotel. After dinner, I was able to convince everybody to go an a stroll and we walked down to Burnham and halfway up Session to a McDonalds outlet for dessert. I wanted to walk back to the hotel but we made it as far as the bottom of Session and took a taxi the rest of the way back to the hotel. Another night of TV and early sleep but this is one time I was looking forward to it.

Northern view from Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

Southern view from Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

Total distance traveled so far is 1,019.8 kilometers. Total expense for the day was P6,514.

written by  Joey Carlotta on January 5, 2008 from Baguio, Philippines
from the travel blog: 2007 Carlotta X'Mas Family Road Trip
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