#laagnitantong

Banza Church Ruins It's a shame! It's only this time of visit that I discovered Banza Church Ruins. Been to Butuan City for countless times that I regret I missed this interesting piece of Philippine Heritage. As can be read in the concrete bank below, Banza Ruins was established in 1622 by the Augustinian missionaries. Just like most histories, the village mushroomed along the Agusan River and so was the church. What can be seen now is the symbol of history, the belfry of the church. Once there, you will notice some ruins. I presumed the ruins is not the original church building but a replica. Capturing it added the historic mark of the experience that you have been to the Banza Church Ruins .   Being in the city for another official business, the rollout training of eFRS accounting system for the Caraga Region, I invited my colleagues (Ms. Cholet and Ms. Mayet) for the sidetrip to the ruins. We initially thought of commuting to the site from the hotel...

A call of duty led me to Malvar, Batangas for a week. A week is too long to stay in one place, so I googled on the potential tourist spots or natural wonders in the town or nearby places like Lipa City or Tanauan City. Then I found one very interesting plac in Malvar town itself, the Calejon Falls. Located in Brgy San Gregorio (trivia: Calejon was the old name), I took the usual and only transport around here - tricycle. Those who have been here said in their blogs that the trip cost 50 pesos, but the driver (I didn't get his name) charged me 55 pesos per way. It was around 10AM when we crossed the STAR Tollway and reached the dropoff point.   One there, I noticed no signage, nor guide posts, no indication of which way, where to go, what must and what not to do. I realized that this supposedly interesting natural wonder, which should have been a touristy spot, is not maximized by both the municipal and barangay local government. I suspect the spot is privately owned....

Shit happens sometimes, especially when you are in a metropolitan area. I have my share of misfortunes while living in Metro Manila. I guess you won't survive the metro until you'll experience them. It felt normal to hear about them from other people's stories, but to personally experience it is totally a different story. 1. Pickpocketting That very day was probably cursed. I went to the office late, caught by the heavy traffic at Edsa- Kamuning area, so I got off the bus, climbed the GMA-Kamuning MRT Station and took the train. Due to very congested trains originating from North Edsa Station, it took me awhile to reach MRT Ortigas Station. Once there, I hurriedly walked my way through ADB Avenue, then Emerald and Garnet avenues. When I arrived at the office and unslung my bag, I found it open and half empty. My wallet and 2 cellphones were gone, picked and pocketed. I immediately rung my banks and credit card companies to freeze my accounts. Fortunate...