by Eden Lorren Pabalan

New friends, new families

One week was all I had to take a trip to Aklan, a province better known for it’s Boracay Island. It was a very fulfilling and unforgettable travel experience for me because I reaped laurels in Kalibo due to the National Schools Press Conference, and at the same time, had a leisure trip to the tourist attractions of Aklan, especially, where else? Boracay! The sand and the smell of the sea was overwhelming. But I was most thankful for the tour guides and co-contestants in the NSPC who have become my buddies in my vacation-cum-contest. Everything was worth it!

1st Day: I don’t love airports

I was so excited when I boarded the PAL plane bound for Kalibo at 3:00 pm. My adrenaline was surged up and I had a lot of misfortunes and adventures before I got the chance to go to Aklan for free. I won a Metro Manila journalism contest where the winners will compete in the national levels which will be held in Kalibo, Aklan for three days. The other days left were for travel and leisure for us. So DepEd and my school sent me to Aklan together with another participant to bring back to Manila the much needed victory in the field of journalism.

The flight ran smoothly for us. After about 45 minutes the plane landed in Kalibo Airport where the little hassles began. When we arrived, there was a blackout in the airport! It was drizzling and the machines used for scanning the baggages were not working. After a few moments, we saw our bags being drenched in the rain and were just piled up in a corner of the airport and we rushed to take our luggage! It gave me a headache. But that’s where the troubles ended. We were welcomed in the airport by my adviser’s friends who served as our tour guides during our one week in Aklan. They drove us to our billeting area in Kalibo Pilot Elementary School. Unbelievably, their public schools were nice. We had dinner in a barbecue house near the school and unpacked our stuff. Everything was good so far.

2nd Day and 3rd Day: Love the weather, hate the tension

On Sunday, we went to Aklan Baptist Church to pray for the upcoming contest and we met some people whom my adviser knew. They served us a sumptuous lunch and gave us a warm welcome. Hospitality reigned in their culture.

Monday was the official start of the NSPC. There was a popular ati-atihan dance (dance for a feast in honor of Santo Niño) and we enjoyed the warm welcome of Kalibo people. It was my first time to see it and my curiosity was satisfied. I’m began to adjust in the weather, which was really cold, and met new friends. Cristina, a senior, jogged around the school every morning when she woke up and invited me to join her. The cool smell of fresh air soothed my lungs. It was a welcome breath after living in Manila for 15 years.

Despite the good events, the tension in my heart rose up. Wednesday was the schedule of my contest for Copyreading and Headline Writing. It doesn’t help that I had fun the whole time.

4th Day and 5th Day: I Love Precious Moments, Bakawans, and awards

Wednesday was the day of the contests for my category. It was also the day our school principal arrived to join us for the contest and awarding. I did my best in writing a headline and my comrade already copped an award for winning in Radio Broadcasting. What I cannot believe was when I heard my name being called for winning 4th place in the nationals! My Aklan trip was already well-paid. Our school principal was so happy about my achievement. My co-student also won third place in a different category.

Travel-wise, on Wednesday and Thursday, we strolled around Aklan. We went to the museum of Precious Moments, dolls which were made by an American national based in Aklan. There were lots of dolls inside the museum which looked like a huge doll house, and I saw all the limited edition Precious Moments dolls. They were so cute. After that tour, I started to love the dolls with the trademark teardrop-shaped eyes. We also went to Bakawan park and marvelled at the aquatic trees. Of course we ate and ate during the tour, and probably gained weight. When night fell, we started packing up to get ready for tomorrow’s travel to Boracay Island!

6th Day and 7th Day: I’m in love

I never thought that Boracay was so far from Kalibo. Our “tour guides” who were actually the best guides for me, drove us in a van from Kalibo all the way to Malay, Aklan for about 2 hours. During the travel, we saw lots of coconut trees and a view of the ocean, and the province. It was beautiful. I had already fallen in love with Aklan, and I actually didn’t want to end my trip. After the long ride to Malay, we took a 30-minute boat ride to Boracay island.

When we arrived at Boracay, I excitedly disembarked from the boat and admired the fine white sand. I even put some sand into a mineral water bottle and took it home. We checked-in to a hotel and swam in the blue water of the sea. There were not much tourists because it was February, and I liked the serenity of the place. The only problem when you swim in February is that there were moss and seaweeds around the shores. But then, I enjoyed every second of being there, most especially the food and the weather, which was not too hot. I loved their green mango shake and mongolian buffet! Yum! But the best thing in Boracay is its sunset. Lovely is an understatement for describing it.

To wrap it up, Aklan is a province rich in culture, hospitality, and biodiversity. It’s people, attractions, and festivals are the reasons why tourists swarm the province. And I will never forget the moment I fell in love with it.

By: Eden Lorren Pabalan

Of Parks:
Botanical Gardens, Mines View Park, Camp John Hay and Burnham Park are the main attractions of Baguio City. I enjoyed myself most in Camp John Hay because it is serene and quiet. The horses in Camp John Hay are also more well-groomed than Wright Park’s horses where there are horse poop everywhere and it stinks. I took a 30 minute horse ride and I was so shocked to realize that it was difficult to do horseback riding! It was fun albeit it almost made me wonder if I’ll still live after being shaken thoroughly by the horse.

In totality, Baguio is a place of escape for people who want to chill (literally) and relax. The flowers, food, weather, and quiet parks of Baguio are the reasons why vacationers always make Baguio their hideaway place from all the hubbubs of the metropolis and the pollution.

By: Kathleen Yu

My sister shuddered as the tiger edged closer, its fangs bared. She didn’t know what to do; she was trapped. She trembled in fear, wondering if the savage animal would maul her to bits. I watched in fascination as the tiger continued to sniff its surroundings. Did it smell my sister? It was impossible to tell. All I knew was that my sister was definitely freaked out. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking like crazy. And then…we drove off and moved on to another part of Zoobic Safari.

That was probably the highlight of our first family trip to Subic. My sister screaming like a banshee as the tiger edged closer and closer. I kind of wish I’d taken a picture. That way I’d at least have some remembrance of my best Subic trip ever, so to speak. I never realized that there could be so much to do there, and in such a small place at that. We only stayed two days, but those two days made up the best memories of my entire summer.

Road Trip!
The road trip to Subic was probably one of the longest in my life, next to Baguio. My siblings and I were cramped in close quarters the whole time, and when we finally got there-our backsides were rather sore. We were on the road about three hours, and there wasn’t much to see outside–mostly highway, and a little trees. To top it all off, my younger sister had a fever and she was shivering and groaning the whole time. Music to the ears…but she got a little better as we went along. It’s a bummer to get sick during a road trip, especially when you’re squashed in the middle, like my sister was. It was a relief to everyone when we finally reached Subic. I was excited to see the place, since it was my first time there.

The Courtyard Inn
My dad had reserved a room at this really swanky place, The Courtyard Inn. Our room was really cool, especially the bar. We had a late lunch there, BBQs we’d brought from home. My parents were too cheap to buy anything from the place, and to their credit-the food there was pretty expensive. I wanted to have a little siesta afterward-I’m not much of an out-and-about person-but as usual, I was overruled. The rest of the family wanted to go to a beach, and do some swimming. So to the beach we went.

Beaches are Very Dangerous
We found a deserted beach after we’d been looking for about an hour. My dad parked the car while the rest of us headed off for some fun and frolic. Except we didn’t find fun and frolic. Just a whole lot of hermit crabs, and a starfish that looked nothing like Patrick Star from Spongebob Squarepants. Then my brothers decided to do some extreme stunt diving and before you knew it…KABLAMO! My brother had hit his head on a sandbar from diving into really shallow water. Good thing it wasn’t that serious. I tried some swimming myself. The water was pretty clear, and I had a fun time exploring it. We even persuaded my hydrophobic younger sister to dunk her feet a little. It wasn’t much, but for someone who’s hated swimming all her life, it was a good start. All in all, the trip to the beach was a pretty exciting one.

by: Kathleen Yu

I admit, the first time I saw the Singaporean Merlion, my exact thoughts were, “What on earth is that?!?” It seemed a grotesque sort of animal, and looked a lot like a Pokemon. So much for a national emblem, huh? My mom brought me back a merlion key chain when she first came from Singapore, a shiny little thing that I stuck to the back of my backpack and broke less than a week later. I guess I wasn’t too impressed with the Merlion. It wasn’t even a real animal, after all. Just a weird hybrid of a fish-lion. According to the guidebook, some dude named Fraser Brunner had designed the merlion as an aquarium souvenir, and it ended up becoming the Singaporean national emblem. Imagine that. They must have been out of ideas.

But I guess that in a way, Singapore is a lot like the Merlion. From being a third-rate country, it rose to become one of the most progressive republics in Asia, all in less than ten years. (Thanks in part to an idol of mine, the venerable statesman Lee Kuan Yew) Just the thought of it makes me wonder, what can we Filipinos accomplish if we put our minds to it? But enough of that, I’m rambling again. Singapore is like a city, and a country at the same time. I swear it’s almost as small as Vatican City, but everything around you is more than progressive–it’s ultra progressive. Even just chewing gum is enough to warrant an arrest for “destroying the overall cleanliness of the country”, so to speak.

Anyways, there are a lot of sights to be seen in Singapore, despite the fact that it’s a relatively small country. You just have to know where to look…

Jurong Bird Park
The Jurong Bird Park is the largest bird park in the world, so they say. There’s all kinds of birds to be seen there, from those fluffy pink flamingos to the more common run-of-the-mill parrots. You won’t find those in the Philippines, that’s for sure. The exhibits are some of the most beautiful to be seen; there’s all kinds of color everywhere and it all looks pretty natural, like a real wildlife setting. There’s this African Waterfall Aviary that looks like something out of the Amazon Rain forest. It’s hard to imagine finding something like that in a bustling city like Singapore.

Night Safari
If you’re not much of a morning person (vampire, werewolf, or some other nocturnal creature), there’s always the night safari. I’d recommend not bringing a camera, since you’re not allowed to take pictures anyway. The lion is especially fierce, but I thought he seemed kind of cute, like Simba in the Lion King. Then there’s all those innocent looking deer-they’re pretty boring. I almost hoped the lion would come in and run after them, so there would be something interesting for a change. But the night safari was pretty interesting, almost like those shows on National Geographic, where some vest-wearing announcer traverses the Savannah at night, in search of wild animals to capture on camera…except with the Night Safari, everything is in real time.

Old Singapore
If you’re a history buff and enjoy leafing through guidebooks of unimportant facts (since they don’t concern you any), Old Singapore is just the place for you. Everything in there is pretty old, which makes it “historically significant”. There’s even an old little India inside, if you’re interested in varying the people scene a bit. There’s an old parliament, an old Hong Kong tea house, an old fire station, not to mention some really old people. If you’re into antiques, explore the place a bit. You never know what you might find in a place like that.

Merlion Park
By far my favorite place in the whole of Singapore, and, yes, it’s only because of the giant Merlion in the middle of the park, spouting off water like a cute Pokemon. The place is like a tourist attraction in Singapore, probably because, well -duh- the Merlion is the most adorable, cute little thing…okay, maybe not that much. But it’s a pretty fine statue. And the park is a good place to walk around in, especially if you’re a nature-lover, or a Merlion-lover. Fact of the matter is, you can’t go wrong at Merlion Park. Growwwl.

Train-Hopping
Yes, I know it’s not a real tourist attraction-but you should try it. It’s really fun. You get to see all sorts of different places, and then get lost in the process. And when you’re finding your way back, there’s always a chance of meeting new, and interesting people. Just make sure you bring enough for the commute, so you won’t have to get off and walk the rest of the way.

Shopping!
Shopaholic or not, Singapore offers a wide array of shopping choices. They have like ten malls in the place, all of them selling different kinds of merchandise. My mom, a well-known foodie, brought home a whole bunch of strange-looking Chinese food when she came back. Needless to say, we haven’t touched any of them. They’re probably rotting in a pantry somewhere. But then, there’s also a whole lot of clothes of different shapes and sizes. And surprise surprise, they’re all…ridiculously cheap!

To tell you the truth, Singapore is a very interesting place to explore. There’s so much to see, hear, smell, taste, touch…and to top it all, bring home to your friends and family! I’m thinking I might bring back a live Merlion one day, to live in our aquarium…if I can find one. Or perhaps a Singaporean boy… The Merlion that invaded Asia, that’s definitely Singapore. And a formidable Merlion at that. So the next time you consider visiting an Asian country, think Singapore. It’s a totally worthwhile place to play tourist in. Promise. Cross my heart and hope to…ummm…see you there soon!