Araw ng Kagitingan!

(Photo credits: Icoy Mercado, Chrome Mojica and Pogs Manalili)

LONG WEEKEND......what to do? where to go? typical thoughts running given that two words =)
and it won't take long to think where and who to go with.....there's a lot of places to go, plus i have my constant companion...my gala buddies

and so here I am...walking along the beach of Laiya and Hugom to climb Mt. Daguldol for the second time with new sets of companion

Icoy and Sheila, Icoy's first, Sheila's second

there's Bing (first timer)...so tired but she made it to the top =)

then Chrome and Pogs first time also

after about 48 rests =)

and another rest.....

we reached the camp site..usually it will take you 4 hours (maximum including rest) to hike Daguldol but we're raising the lead....we did it for 7 hours (awesome)

we did it on purpose, since it's our second time we told them that we'll take it slow...we'll enjoy the view, the company of each one and we just need some light enough to pitch our tent and prepare dinner (lusot na ba?)

and just some going around for sunset watching....
then after dinner we had socials according to our itinerary/program (prepared by Sheila) so we had ghost stories c/o Chrome, star gazing and identifying the constellation and also eavesdropping to our neighbor's stories (we didn't hear much just their mountain climbing stories), lights off at 9PM

good morning Daguldol....so happy to see fogs everywhere....WOW =)

meet the Magigitings hehe: Bing, me, Sheila, Chrome, Pogs and Icoy....time to explore Daguldol

this is the biggest camp site, they call Anahawan...golf course like and highest point of Daguldol where you can have the glimpse of Mindoro and Marinduque

along the trail you can see a good view of the sea...

a lot of rest areas like this

our holiday is not yet over =) heading for the beach....rest awhile then dip into the blue sea before we finally say it's over =)

White Water Rafting

the last time i went to Davao, I saw this advertisement for white water rafting in butterfly farm, but it's expensive for one person willing to do it..just me =( my companion doesn't want to =(. So you could imagine how thrilled I am knowing that this time around I have this big group to accompany me.....

waiting for our service in our hotel lobby...

the gears....

the paddle...

the gang, watching the video and posing before the orientation starts

our service JEEP with the raft....

with our gears....excitedly posing before proceeding to the river

yahooooooooooo...Davao/Bangkerohan river here we come!

putting on our life vest, orientation for proper swimming or what they call defensive swimming and all the necessary precautions before we really go to the real action with our Paparazzi

introduction with our raft and raft master (the guide)

meet my raftmates: Lloyd (our guide/raft master), Chrome, me, Emma and Liezel

another team: Paul, Sonia, Dee, Donald and Bing

third group: Ate Beng, Sir Glenn, Tiny, Icoy and their guide

the fourth group: Jane, Meggy, James, Chillan and Marjorie

another orientation, the how to pull back up your buddy to the raft in case he fell out...so this is how you do it: you hold on to the shoulder portion of the vest then bend your knees that is while your feet are apart then dip your buddy as if pushing him to the water then pull...then immediately go back to position

Sheila and Liezel doing the defensive swimming

the high five....it's like signaling "HURRAH to us" for making it through

lunch break, somewhere in the middle of the river...the lunch is also part of the package..we had chicken and pork adobo plus juice and water and mentos for dessert

part of the crazy adventure is to jump off this portion....oh well..crazy as we are, we tried it!

that's Atoy, the lead man....he's the river rafting leader, checking out the rapids for us.....

this one is our videographer..yeah we had video of this =) but not yet in you tube...later maybe!

there, after almost 3 hours...we finished the Davao/Bangkerohan river rafting....with us here is Aga (beside Emma), the Aga Muhlach of Davao Wild Water Adventure and Lloyd (our guide, behind Emma and Liezel) aka Jacob of Twilight the movie =)

the water is not so wild coz it's summer but still we had fun...it's in our hearts already remember? (entertainment is in our hearts)

then after, we did the fastest zipline in Davao at Zip City, also part of the rafting freebies....