The 12-Hour Albay Escapade

Planning phase pa lang, sobrang excited na kami. We chose Kawa-Kawa Nature Park and Hoyop-Hoyopan Cave as our destinations ‘cos it’s two of the best and not to mention, two of the cheapest ecotourism sites in Albay. And another brownie point, they’re very accessible. So perfect!

Right after breakfast, we boarded the jeepney that will take us to our first destination: Kawa-Kawa Nature Park. It will take us almost an hour to reach Ligao where we will ride a tricycle going to our destination. So we spent the time by chikahan and just fooling around. We haven’t reached our destination yet pero sobrang enjoy na kami!

A Hill Without A Hilltop

We finally reached our destination after 1.2 hours. Weather is very good though it’s not as windy as I expected. The hike to the top is not really that easy. We had several stops and photo ops while walking. After 20 minutes or so, we reached the top.


We first find a cottage to take a rest. And besides, it’s very hot pa to take a walk. While having their rest, I walked around to practice my photography skills (if there’s any). I had several sorry attempts until I captured these two shots. What you think?

Before we took a walk on the trek, the Yoo brothers decided to leave their marks in the cottage.

The Korean’s first visit in Kawa-Kawa – Yong Ki Yoo

Thank you my Filipino friends. Joy is hungry. – Seul Ki Yoo

The view is really breathtaking. It was my third time here but the view never fails to amaze me. The place is beautiful and quiet. We are lucky ‘cos di ganun karami yung tao when we got there.

We didn’t go down the “kawa” because of the scorching heat. Umaatikabong sunburn ang aabutin namin ‘pag ganun. XD We settled on another cottage instead to eat our snacks. I advise you to bring your own food ‘cos the foods there are pricey. Mahirap daw i-akyat. Loooooool.

After ½ hour of exploring and 1 hour of pahinga (looool!), we went down the hill to each lunch. Gutom na gutom na kami. We ate at La Terraza. In fairness, the place is very cozy and the staffs were nice and attentive. I’m impressed!

All in all, we ordered four kinds of dishes (Adobadong Manok with Gata, Sweet and Spicy Bicol Express, Chicken Estofado and 2 servings of Humba). Almost all servings are big enough for two to three persons. Prices range from Php160-250. Yeah, very affordable!

For an affordable price, I’m not expecting much. Surprisingly, the foods exceeded my ecpectations. The foods are freshly cooked and flavorful. Kudos to their cooks!

Their Sweet and Spicy Bicol Express deserve two thumbs up. Sobrang yummy! It’s the best version of Bicol Express I’ve ever tasted.

As much as I wanted to consume all the foods in my plate, my stomach can’t bare it. Sobrang busog na busog ako! Another worth mentioning is – Seul Ki paid for our bill. He’s such a generous young man.

La Terraza Restaurant and Function Hall
Kawakawa, Tuburan, Ligao City, Albay
(052)821-2097/09274840931
www.facebook.com/laterraza.ligao

We took a rest muna before we leave La Terraza for our next destination: Hoyop-Hoyopan Cave. Actually, my mom warned me not to go there ‘cos it’s dangerous daw, considering that we’re graduating students. I think you know naman the pamahiin that graduating students are prone to accidents. So if my mom will ever read this, I'm dead.

To reach the place, we rode a jeepney going to Legazpi. Sa Camalig town center kami bumaba. Once there, we rented two tricycles going to Brgy. Cotmon. I was with Seul Ki and Yong Ki. Fare is Php 30 per head. Travel time is less than 30 minutes.

On the way to the cave, I asked Manong Driver how we can go back to town. He said that from the drop-off point wala nang dumadaang tricycle/jeepney. We can walk though from the cave to the highway but it will take us 3-4 kilometers. Effort pa yun so it became a dilemma for us. Luckily, the driver of the other tricycle offered to wait for us FREE OF CHARGE. Siya pa ang kumausap kay Manong Driver na hintayin na din kami. I love it!

First look pa lang, very creepy na!

We reached the drop off-point. From there, we have to walk at least 500 meters to reach the cave’s opening. There we met Kuya Jessie, our tourguide (09301817532). He charged us Php 400 for the tour. He’s very nice and he is good in speaking English. So, I really recommend him.


What are we waiting for? Let’s start spelunking.


The cave has three levels, bongga diba? Going down the first level alone will take you 3 freaking hours. Fortunately for us, only the second level is allowed for public viewing. Thank God!

See the photo above? We were surprised when Kuya Jessie said that it’s the entrance to the third floor. We’re like “seriously?”. My toothpick-thin body is bigger than the entrance and it seemed impossible to pass. But like what I said, it is not open to the public.

Siya si Moses!

There are lots of beautiful rock formations. All of us can’t help but appreciate the scene.


It is important to stop. Never walk while staring at the ceiling. The way is quite slippery.

Kuya Jessie said that the cave was once submerged in water. As a proof, he pointed coral-like formations inside the cage. Very interesting! At this point, I stopped taking pictures. I need to concentrate on the path. One wrong step and my head might hit a sharp stone.

After 45 minutes of exploring, we’re out of the cave unbruised. Kahit sobrang pagod, we extremely enjoyed it!

There’s a souvenir shop besides the opening. I bought a crystal keychain and so does my friends. Seul Ki bought a lot. Pasalubong niya daw sa friends niya in Korea.

Before we left, Kuya Jessie promoted another cave to us. If we love adventure daw, we must visit Kalabidongan Cave. In the opening pa lang, you have to swim na. I think it’s very challenging! With Kuya Jessie’s description of the cave, I have to visit and experience it for myself.

We are all freaking tired but ‘cos it’s still early to go home, we decided to go to another must-see place: Lingñon Hill. From the cave, we rode the tricycle again and got back to town. We boarded a jeepney that will bring us to Bañag, Daraga and from there we rented a tricycle going to the base of the hill.


Among the three places that we’ve been to, Lingnon Hill is probably the most famous. This has been part of the Phillipine leg of Amazing Race Asia Season 4. Astig, di’ba?

It sounds easy to you but bear in mind that it is an uphill climb. And considering that we’ve been to two places that all requires walking, we’re starting to feel the cramps. But then, we decided to continue. Saying naman if we’ll back-out pa.

We have to stop once in a while ‘cos nakakahingal. I didn’t feel tired that much ‘cos I was busy taking pictures of them and the view.

At last, after 2.4 kilometers of uphill climb, we reached the top. Yahoo!

If ever na magutom kayo, don’t worry, there’s a Chowking there and a number of kainan but we opted not to eat. Sobrang dami naman nung kinain naming nung lunch.

The Yoo brothers got excited when they saw the zipline. I learned from them that sobrang expensive ng zipline in Korea. It will cost you Php 2000. Shikes! Eh dito Php 250 lang and it comes with a free picture pa.

Seul Ki and Yong Ki tried the zipline and seeing their wide smiles I can tell that they enjoyed it – a lot! Too bad, my lens didn’t capture it ‘cos it malfunctioned. Bad trip!

We rested there for a while. Talking, drinking and just enjoying the scene. Sobrang saya! At 7pm, we went back to Tabaco. I made a very sound sleep that night. Sobrang pagod!

This travel is the best I’ve made so far. I consider this as a travel ‘cos I’m one of the organizers though the trip is quite disorganized. Looooool. Never mind if the place that we’ve been to are just in Albay. I never thought that I can do this, to visit three places in a span of just 12 hours. It’s very fulfilling.

Now, I can say that my 2011 has officially started.

A Letter to my Future Girlfriend

Dear “My-soon-to-be-girlfriend”,

It does feel weird writing to you considering that you do not exist. Or rather you exist; I am just unaware of your existence. But I’m not losing hope that someday we will finally meet. And in time, we will fall in love and write our own fairytale. I am the prince, you are the princess and of course, we will live happily ever after. Never mind if this is just wishful thinking, darling.

Please understand that I’m not perfect. I’m very far from being one. So, I hope that you will love me the way I am. I’ve had only one relationship prior to ours so don’t expect me to be smooth in any means. I’m not even romantic but I love doing cheesy stuffs. I will ask you to go out with me on a tissue paper, or if you like, I will just shout it in public, loud and clear. On our first date as a couple, allow me to bring you to my house. I will introduce you to my mom and sisters as my girlfriend. That’s the time that we know that you have me and that I have you.

I don’t know how to cook but for you I’ll try my best. I just hope that you won’t laugh at me if it get burned, turned to mush or taste like paste. But I assure you that I look handsome in an apron. I would really love to calm you down when you’re pissed. It makes me glad to see your mood lighten up, especially knowing that I am the reason behind the smiles.

Please accept the cheesy love letters I will give you not just on our monthsary or on your birthday but also on some lazy afternoon. And, I am more than happy to be your alarm clock. I will wake you up in the morning and send you to sleep at night. I will keep checking you out to know how your day went or what’s on your mind. Always remember that I am not just your lover but your best friend as well.

I don’t have a good singing voice but for you I will sing. Sorry if I am out of tune but believe me, it’s the best that I can do. I love to travel and I hope you also do. So don’t wonder if I will pack a bag and we’ll fly to Cebu to celebrate a special day. And if ever we will have a fight, there’s no need to freak out. Allow me to invite you for dinner and let’s talk it over grilled-pusit and crab rice. That’s yummy. I swear.

As of now, I don’t have a clue on how we will meet. I don’t know how long we will be together or how we will break up. I don’t know too much about love. All I know is that true love is not only loving the person you are with but loving the person you become as a result of the person you are with. I know one day I’ll find you. I know you will find me too. Just keep believing in love and destiny will bring us together.

Although I have yet to find you believe me when I say, I LOVE YOU.

Love,

“Your-soon-to-be-boyfriend”

Beautiful in my Eyes

I don’t really have a plan of blogging tonight. But look, I’m punching keys again. I just want to release this from my fncking head – it occupies much of my brain to my dismay.

I will talk about my college crush(es). It took me a lot of courage (and energy drinks) to write about girls I had/have fancy with. You know, this is not easy for a “torpe guy” like me. Usually, when I want a girl(s), I stat them on FB but now I dedicated a whole post just for them. And this is really weird. Shikes!

JEANNIE. I can’t forget her. I had a crush on her in my freshman year earning her the throne of “JUBERT’S FIRST CRUSH IN COLLEGE”. I thought she was cute from the moment I saw her. I don’t know what the event at the school that time but I remember being seated in front of her and then used that as an excuse to ask some stuffs about her. Too bad, I never had the chance to talk to her again.

Now, she has a boyfriend and he’s a friend. And they’re such a cute couple.

IRIS. I don’t even know how this started but I remember crushing on her hard during my freshman year. We we’re classmates and she’s quite the brainiac. In fact, she topped the Midwifery Licensure Exam of April 2009.

We talked a handful of times but not too much. I don’t know how to approach her so I never really showed her I was interested. So things died down after that.

I’m not sure if she still remembers but I received an SMS from her one day saying that “she’s not yet ready to enter a relationship”. Well, that’s not really the words but what the heck! The thing is, it wasn’t intended for me. I think it was an awkward moment for her.

DOC. I had a crush on her in sophomore year. She and I were RLE mates. I found her interesting and goofy. So, I started to hang-out with her more. I’d always sit next to her, lean on her or do stuffs like walk her to class. But being the torpe that I am, I never tried with her that much. But she and I were always cool though. She acts all giddy whenever I see her in the campus and gives her a hug.

I remember blogging about her last February 2009. I don’t know if she was able to read that but I know that some of our friends did. I’m just so lucky that they didn’t use it to blackmail me.

RED. We are buddies since first year. She’s really cute and wacky and pasaway! I always laugh in whatever she does especially when she cracks corny jokes or sing songs even if she doesn’t know the lyrics. When other people don’t laugh at her, I involuntarily giggle.

Though I’m not fond of attaching string to my girl friends, I planned to make my move. But eventually, I didn’t. I realized that our relationship is never going to be anything more than platonic. And besides, I don’t want to jeopardize the friendship.

JANE. Something about her face I always liked. She’s one of the few people I know that can pull a funny face but still look gorgeous. Really. She’s two years younger than me. We represented the Nursing Department in a competition so I got her phone number and we exchanged SMS. Jane and I started talking more at that point. She’d always ask me some stuffs about boys like “why some boys are flirt” blah blah blah. I took that as a good sign because it seems that she’s very comfortable with me and she really consider me as a friend.

But after the competition, we didn’t chill that much more though I would speak to her whenever I see her. Her “Na-miss kita Marzan” along with her smile always make me kilig.

JESSA. I was very vocal about my admiration to this girl. In fact, I’ve blogged about her twice already. I crushed on her hard last year. I mean hard. She had been a mainstay in my dreams for quite sometime last year. And I find it funny.

Almost a year had passed but the crush is still here. But no pressure, it’s cool. No matter what happens, we’re still friends. We’re just Facebook stalking each other these days. Oh, c’mon, it’s not bad as it sounds.

Here you go. That’s a quick rehash of all the girls I’ve had/have strong crushes on. There’s been others, milder crush(es) but forget them.

Chillspot turns 2!

In the 8th of February 2009, with no clue of the wonderful things that lies ahead, I started blogging again. The primary reason is to share random thoughts culled from the deep recesses of my existence. HAHAHA, I’m just kidding. Actually, this blog was born out of frustration. So, I never really expected that it would last a year. I wasn’t new to blogging back then. I had one/two/three blogs prior to this one but all were epic fail. Swear! But c’mon we all know that most bloggers started just like that. We don’t need to argue on that, right?

80 blog entries written in two years. 16,174 hits. 1,192 comments. Not too many but at least, I know that some people take time to read and follow this blog. I’m very flattered. I’m also grateful for those who knew my blog through somebody else’s mouth. Sobrang sarap ng feeling! And it’s not ‘cos it gives a sort of celebrity status but ‘cos it shows that I’m doing something right. And that inspires me to continue what I have started.

Over the past two years, I blogged about everything from my dysfunctional lovelife… to Gibo Teodoro… to my dirty little secrets. I even went as far as confessing my admiration to two girls here. And I’m very glad that almost all you kept an open mind and commented positively on my articles. Anyway, want to know my personal faves? I want to keep you guessing but whatta heck, here it is:

PROUD PINOY? [June 12, 2010. Read the entire article here] I never consider myself particularly nationalistic but if there’s one article I’m so proud of, this would be the runaway winner. I’ve read this a hundred times already but some part still send me goosebumps until now.

And the post did sit well with the bloggers.

I appreciate nakagawa ka ng ganitong post. Sobrang pampagising, daig pa ang kape sa Starbucks.

That's what we lack--a single goal, a single direction. Kaya nga kung minsan maganda na may kaaway na bansa ‘cos we are united in difficult times but fragmented during peacetime.

Nahiya ako sa blog ko bigla, HAHAHA! Nice one kid! Mabuhay ang Pinas! Walang sinabi ang Sibika at Kultura sa post mo.

TRIVIA: I have a copy of this in my wallet (that’s the original draft actually) and I bring it wherever I go.

BREAKING THE ♥ OF A FRIEND. [November 8, 2009. Read the entire article here] This is one of the funniest, mushiest and most stupid articles I’ve made – EVER! So, I was really overwhelmed of the response that it got from my fellow bloggers. Some expressed their admiration (or is it?) for my being straightforward. Some made jokes out of it. And some gave upright advices.

TRIVIA: After almost 1 ½ years, this still remain the most commented article in the history of Chillspot.

CONFESSIONS OF A BLOGGER PART 1 & 2 [Part 1: October 11, 2010. Read the entire article here. Part 2: January 11, 2011. Read the entire article here.] There is no need for me to explain why I love these both. I enjoyed doing these and a sequel is already in the drawing board. EXCITED MUCH?

Through this personal blog, I met tons of (equally) awesome bloggers. I can't even count now how many are them. Really. But despite of that, this girl is and will always be my favorite - the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Ate Chyng (the explorer) of the award-winning and Google-recognized “No Spam, No Kiddin’, No Virus”. She’s my oldest and most-loved link. She was there to see my blog grow. And she will be there to see my blog die. Hahahaha. *knock on wood* I will always be her biggest fan. Please take note of that.

Not far behind her is Kuya Raymond of “That’s So Raymond!” – one of my newest links. I just found out his blog recently and I immediately fell in love with it (and the writer too! XD). He’s one hell of a writer-slash-poet. His writing style is engaging. I don’t know but there is something there that would make you keep reading. Seriously.

Initially, I wanted to put all the names of my blogger friends here but I’m thinking if I’ll do that then the list would be longer than the Great Wall of China. HAHAHA. I guess, you know who you are.

On my third year, nothing will change. I’ll still be the same Jubert/Hoobert/Jubibo that you knew. I’ll still publish great (and controversial) articles for everyone to enjoy. And I assure you all that you’ll still get the ULTIMATE CHILLSPOT EXPERIENCE.

I also would like to thank the rest of you who comes here every day but never leaves a comment. Daghang salamat!

Jubert/Hoobert/Jubibo