It was in an in flight magazine where I first saw an image of this stunning rock formation dressed in all white. At first, I even thought the photo was edited but upon seeing it with my own eyes during my visit at Ilocos, I was at awe in belief. It is indeed real!
Why ‘Kapurpurawan’?
The word “kapurpurawan” means “Kaputi putian” or white in Ilokano. The place was named as such due to the distinctive grand white lime stone formations within the area. The mighty winds coming from the sea causes a big part to the displacement of minerals and the instinctive and chemical weathering of this rock formation. Truly an amazing work of mother nature isn’t it?
The trek to Kapurpurawan can be done in two ways: you could enjoy a hike towards it, or have a horseback ride for 50php.
Since me and my travel buddy wants to savor our adventure in Ilocos, we decided to go for the second option.
Horse Back Riding in Kapurpurawan
And yes, did I forget to mention that this is my first horse ride? And tell you, I love it!
During the journey to the stunning rock formation, you could see from afar the Kapurpurawan landmark, a giant sphinx cutting through the deep blue sky with all its whiteness.
Upon our arrival, we were welcomed by these mini houses in white. The guide told us that these are just imitations ; a remnant of the cast of “Si Agimat, Si Enteng at Ako” movie, one of the entries for the Metro Manila Film Festival for December 2012.
Setting Foot in a Chalk White Rock Formation
Moving on, we walked on to the inviting rock formation ahead of us and I found myself taking photos here, there and everywhere.
Locals claim that the upper beak part that looks like a Sphinx or head of a sleeping dragon changes every year through natural conditions.
After much photo ops, we headed back to our tricycle tour to explore the rest of Pagudpud.
January is indeed a month of festivals ; from the popular Sinulog in Cebu to the Ati-atihan in Kalibo and Dinagyang in Iloilo. But wait, I’m sure Mindanao wouldn’t let this month passed by without having something, particularly my province here in South Cotabato!
And so I present to you THE HINUGYAW FESTIVAL 2013!
Start this year with a bang as Koronadal City celebrates the 13th Hinugyaw Festival.
The said festival started last January 4 and culminates on the evening of January 10, 2013, highlighting the Piyesta Korona (Korona Festival), a unique blend of mardi gras, creative korona attire and float competitions and of course the most awaited nighttime Street Dancing Competition!
Yes! You heard that right, NIGHT Street Dancing that is! Contrary to the common street dancing held during the daytime, Hinugyaw trots the road less traveled ; and that’s what makes this festival even more interesting!
Streets once again will be flooded with curious spectators dying to witness participants in their colorful ethnic attires as they dance to the beat of lively cultural music.
So without further adieu, here are some shots I’ve took during the colorful festivity ; a mixture of the Street Dancing Competition, a parade of beauties in their creative crowns and attires, and the the Float Parade.
Have a Feast!
Street Dancing Competition
Participant No. 1
Participant No. 2
Participant No. 3
Participant No. 4
Participant No. 5
Participant No. 6
And in this group I also spotted a very cute kid who got my camera glued on him.. so pardon if his smiles and gorgeousness took a lot of space in the following photos. I’m sure you’ll also agree with me after seeing these –
Korona Creative Attire Competition
Float Competition
Hinugyaw festival is a week long celebration of the Foundation Anniversary of Koronadal City, the center of the Province of South Cotabato happening usually on the first week of January every year. It is a colorful merry-making depicting the evolution of the distinct cultures of B’laans, Maguindanao, and Christians into a singular wave of rhythm as a tribute to the creator, and in celebration of the spirit that Koronadal is known for dynamic and persistent in its bound for sustainable development.
So next time you’re heading South Mindanao, don’t forget to drop by and join in the merriment! Until next year Hinugyaw!
It was a cold and cozy Tuesday afternoon when me and my buddy decided to warm ourselves up by treating our appetite to a new found pasta house in our very own province in South Cotabato, specifically in Koronadal City.
Although we often eat out in Davao, but having a taste of specialty cuisines in our locality is still an experience worth trying ; something worth bragging for.
And so around 3pm we entered this home-turned-resto pasta house – The Basilio’s.
Basilio’s Pasta House
Upon entering this restaurant, one will definitely feel the warmth and coziness of a home. A perfect place for family bonding or simply catching up with old friends.
Basilio’s Interior
Heading upstairs you will be impressed by a Japanese style dining facility where tables are surrounded by cushions laid out for a relaxing dining experience. Floors are squeaky clean and laid out with banig. I even thought that this would be a perfect place to have a relaxing massage or yoga.
And since it’s Japanese inspired, guest are required to leave their footwear behind. Need not worry for Basilio’s will be providing you slippers.
Then it’s time to order.
Basilio’s Specialty
Basilio’s culinary fare specializes in pasta. You have a number of pastas and sauces to choose from. And of course, almost all of them include their favorite herb – the Basil. (The name Basilio’s was derived from the restaurant’s main ingredients in almost all their specialties – the Basil.)
For our 1st luncheon experience there, we tried their Carbonara Pasta, a fettuccine pasta which has the right amount of creaminess and non of that evap milk taste common in other restaurants. It has the right amount of saltiness from the bacon and butter.
Basilio’s Carbonara
The Gambas Pasta, the signature dish of Basilio’s – a tomato based fettuccine pasta with shrimps topped with chili flakes. I was surprised at the pinch of spiciness that linger in your mouth after taking a spoonful of it, probably brought about by the chili flakes.
Gambas Pasta
Then the third one the Lasagna, also a house specialty, mixed just with the right amount of creaminess enough to leave you wanting for more.
Lasagna
This is also a favorite of my father. I actually heard this Pasta House first from him, turned out the owner was a friend of his. As a matter of fact you could also see one of my father’s craft in this culinary place – his Wall Aquariums, a hobby turned business by him. (Let me know if you want one done in your home! *Wink)
Wall Aquarium made by my father
What is impressive with Basilio’s is that their prices are really reasonable! Imagine a plate of their succulent pasta will only cost you around P95 per single serving.. now that is delicious isn’t it?!
Basilios Menu
And for those who are not pasta-lovers, they also have main dishes served with rice and vegetables on the side.
Where is Basilios?
Basilio’s – Based Basil Pasta and Resto is located at 72 MH Del Pilar St., Korondal city. From Gensan drive, turn left at the round bowl, and once you reach Notre Dame of Marbel university, turn right and left again at MH Del Pilar St. For bookings or reservations, you can call them at +63 83 228 2878. Business hours is from 10AM til 10PM daily.
It’s January once again! A time of festivities and colorful festivals! But this isn’t Sinulog in Cebu, nor Dinagyang in Iloilo, not even Ati-atihan in Aklan, but this is HINUGYAW FESTIVAL, a festival as equally colorful and vibrant!
Hinugyaw festival is a week long celebration of the Foundation Anniversary of Koronadal City, the center of the Province of South Cotabato (my home province). Hinugyaw is a colorful merry-making depicting the evolution of the distinct cultures of B’laans, Maguindanao, and Christians into a singular wave of rhythm as a tribute to the creator, and in celebration of the spirit that Koronadal is known for dynamic and persistent in its bound for sustainable development. (from Koronadal Hinugyaw Festival Website)
The festival icon is the cogon grass. Etymologically speaking, Koronadal is believed to have been derived from two B’laan words “kolon” and “nadal” meaning, a plain of cogon grass. Koronadal has been the home of speedy and sustainable development which sprouted naturally like cogon grass.
Now on the 13th year, Hinugyaw Festival is set on January 4-10, 2013. The week long celebration will once again showcase the fusion of diverse cultures present in the City of Koronadal. Major events includes the Drumline Competition, the search for Lakambini ng Koronadal 2013 and the much anticipated Piyesta Korona (Korona Festival) – a mix of street dancing, mardi gras and float competitions. Check out below the list of major events and schedule of activities for the upcoming Hinugyaw Festival 2013.
See this year’s schedule of activities:
Hinugyaw Festival 2013 Schedule of Activities
January 4, 2013 Peter B. Miguel Cup – Basketball
7 am, Freedom Park
Unveiling & Wreath Laying of Historical Marker for 17 Martyrs
8:30 am, Koronadal Central Elementary School – 1
Veteran’s Exhibit
3 pm, City Hall Ground
Kasadyahan sa Dalan & Nightly Bands
7 pm, City Hall Grounds
January 5 Koronadal Marathon/ Fun Run
4 am, Assembly Area: City Hall Grounds
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time for prayer and reflection
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2012.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
Personality:
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day —- and while you walk, smile.
11. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t over do; keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously; no one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Community:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
32. Do the right things.
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. Forgiveness heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, don’t take it for granted – embrace life.
39. Your inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
The year 2012 had just passed by successfully. Can I expect you to give and BE more?
More travel packed, more adventurous, more road trips, plane rides, food trips and all there is.
We just turned ONE YEAR OLD yesterday, all thanks for proving the Mayan-End-of-the-World forecasters wrong.
So without further adieu, as much as I want to reminisce the good ole memories of 2012 and look backward, I’d love it more to move forward and look on the year ahead of us. So here I’ll unravel the 2013 Travel Calendar of AdventuRoj.
These are just the fixed, scheduled dates as of time of writing, changes are always welcomed. I intended to leave out as many weekend free as possible to give way for unplanned trips, as they say “A Good Traveler Has No Fixed Plans.”
So lo and behold, my 2013 Travel Plan! Let me know if our paths might cross!
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*Just click on the navigational arrows above to switch between months…
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So there it is! Kita-kits! Just shoot me an email or visit me at Facebook if you want to coordinate, travel with, or invite me. *wink
The start of the year marks the first anniversary of this Blog. I could still remember that one quiet and fateful day of January 1st, 2012 when my first blog post was published and Adventuroj.com went live.
And born on that day – a new fantastic journey to a place that I had only imagined before, a journey towards the realization of my dream to travel around the world, starting of course in my beloved homeland, the Philippines quest for the #80 provinces.
2012: A Year of Colorful Memories
How AdventuRoj Started?
Fueling my Dream to Travel
Looking Onward to 2013
I had long wanted to travel. I want to be a location independent freelancer traveling the world with a backpack to carry my stuff, a camera to capture thy precious moments, a laptop to fund my travel (yes I’ve been an Odesk Freelancer for almost 2 years now), an adventurous feet willing to venture into anything, and an open heart to absorb all the world has to offer and in return, give back to it by sharing the travel experiences I’ve had. And that’s why I’ve decided to put up a travel blog.
Why I Blog?
Serving as an ‘Eye’ for Others
There’s just too much beauty in the world to see, that I just can’t afford to experience it on my own and let it pass by without sharing what I saw to other people.
I SOMEWHAT admire those individuals who have the luxury of time and money to travel the world with ease and comfort, for they could go wherever they want, BUT I PITY more the fact that they go around exploring WITHOUT sharing what they see. What selfishness there is!
To travel is to share. I like to believe it that way. Probably the most that we could do when we travel is to advocate the beauty we’ve experienced, not just for the sake of having bragging rights to our friends, nor of being able to upload Facebook photos to let everyone know how lucky you are.
I also knew that there’s a lot of souls out there, who like me, also share that same desire to travel the world but cannot because they are restricted usually by their career or family responsibilities. At least through my blog I could let them see through my eyes the experience of going into places where they wanted to.
Lastly, I want to blog to let everyone know that YOU DON’T NEED TO BE RICH TO BE ABLE TO TRAVEL.That’s why here in my blog I also wrote of budget travel tips and tricks for everyone. And if you’re thinking that traveling cheaply is ain’t fun, YOU’RE WRONG! Actually it is a whole lot more fun – for when you travel cheap it follows that you get to interact with the locals more, sleep with them in terminals, eat with them in local carenderias, talk to them, ask for directions when lost, learn how to live like them, ride with them in public transportation vehicles instead of availing tour packages, and even sleep with them rather than staying in luxurious hotels.
Why AdventuRoj?
Now you may ask why AdventuRoj?
Simply because of my love for ADVENTURE.. plus my branding, none other than my name ROJ, from Rojae (which I loved so much for its uniqueness, mysteriousness, and ambiguity. (Haha. Why? Do you know of any other person who goes by the name ROJAE? If yes, lemme know!).
Therefore, ADVENTURE + ROJAE = ADVENTUROJ (pronounced as ‘Adventure+roj’ or somewhat like that. I hate it when people don’t know how to read my domain properly, usually the ‘Ad-ven-to-roj’ pronunciation they tell me. Strict ano? haha!
Journeying Down Memory Lane
In honor of my one year blog anniversary I thought I would like to share with you the feats and notable memories we’ve had in the past year. I hope you all enjoy!
My Year Ender Video Special
If you haven’t watched my video nor read my blog post of my year ender special of all the travels I’ve had for 2012, here’s a recap. It is actually my first time to create a year ender, and I’m really excited for this brand new year 2013’s year ender!
I started blogging for travel and self sake, not for glory nor fame nor riches (yes, I don’t earn a single penny out of my blog contrary to what others believed. I fund my own travels, no sponsors whatsoever, I wish! *wink).
I have never claimed to be a good writer, but I know it has helped for me to have a place to get my thoughts and feelings out. I love this little blog world. I thought this could be my personal scrapbook / diary / album of travel memories so when I get old I have something to look back to, something that can never be robbed from me nor destroyed.
But there was a time in July 2012, when my home province, South Cotabato hosted a Blog Writing Competition.
Through my father’s and friends’ encouragement I joined. I also wanted to blog and tell the world about the lovely beauty of my province, contrary to the usual mindset of other people upon the place ‘Cotabato’ as being a place of war and terrorism.
I also want to let them know that SOUTH COTABATO IS DIFFERENT FROM COTABATO.
So I submitted my entry, a product of venturing out and experiencing the T’nalak Festival first handedly…
The year didn’t end there for AdventuRoj. Come the month of November 2012 when I got an email from one of the administrators of the group Filipino Bloggers Worldwide, better known as the FBW, informing me that my blog was one of the nominees for the Top 20 Filipino Travel Bloggers. I just can’t imagine the joy I’ve felt hearing that unexpected news!
Came December, after the votation was done, Adventuroj unexpectedly emerged triumphantly again, coming out as TOP 2 Filipino Travel Blogger. A BIG WOW!!!
Being nominated is a blessing enough, what more belonging to the Top 10! Maraming maraming salamat po!
My Most Precious, Highly Acclaimed Award
However the most rewarding feat that matters most to me is not the awards nor the recognition, but the people whom my blog is intended for – my dear readers, friends, family, fellow travelers, and all the amazing people I met on this journey.
You became a part of my support system. You fuel my desire to travel and to continue blogging. I had to be honest that there had been times when I feel like giving up this dream, lazy enough to post my adventures, to stop writing and just rest my pen, but I cannot.
You ask me why, and the answer is YOU.
I just couldn’t stop knowing that I have my blog readers waiting for updates, or lost individuals seeking answers through my blog.
And so today I would like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to all of you. Thank you to all of my readers and to those that have offered their support over the last year. Your friendships mean the world to me.
Thank you also to fellow travelers whom I met along the way, to the PTB (Pinoy Travel Bloggers) group, travelers who had already lived the dream of conquering the #80 Phil Provinces, or are still on their way like me. They had been truly an inspiration.
And to my wonderful travel buddy, Kathy, (na may ma-‘kathy’ ring paa (Itchy feet), who ventured out in the wild with me, and together we’re conquering the world starting from the Philippines, one province at a time! Thank you!
Adventuroj and Travel Buddy, Kathy
Launching of a Brand New Website
As a matter of fact, we’re planning to launch a new website – the travelers in red and blue, contradicting colors, contradicting personalities, age, but complimenting in dreams on travel and adventure. Not your ordinary travel website, for this site will blog more of PHOTOGRAPHY AND POETRY, instead of the usual stories, paragraphs, etc. (But of course, my Adventuroj.com site will take care of that so you don’t get short of budget travel tips and tricks.)
The new blog will probably go live along with our launching of Project #80 Around Pinas, as we plan to go, leave our homes, and live on an on-the-road-around-the-world-nowhere-to-be-found quest to cover the entire country, traveling and working online at the same time.
We’ll probably even meet you on the road!
Wishing you the best adventure to come!
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In this brand new year for AdventuRoj, I’m definitely looking forward to new opportunities, to travel, to give, to share and to love. I really hope that this quarter will be the one that makes all the difference, in the name of travel and adventures. After all, this is a new season, which means new beginnings.
Happy New Year to all and Cheers to More Travels for the Year 2013!
Adventuroj Wishes You All a Prosperous and Travel-ful 2013!
The Adventures of AdventuRoj! 