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SIGHTSEEING by boat in the Hundred Islands in Pangasinan is not enough. If you want to feel nature in this place, it's best to try trekking and kayaking. You can do both in this national park found in Alaminos, Pangasinan.

Our trip to this beautiful place started early in the morning. Didi Camara of Sun and Sea Sports Systems, Inc. gathered people for an eco-tour of the Hundred Islands.

From the sands of Bolo Beach, we passed by a laidback community: I saw a mother bathing her toddler daughter while other kids played with the water pump. We then walked on a narrow bridge made of soil in between fishponds. Good thing the weather was good at that time. It was nice to see the reflection of the blue skies on the water.

We started trekking on a rocky slope. I must admit wearing slippers was not a good idea especially if what you have is not meant for trekking. Fortunately, it survived. But then again, I have to endure minor scratches caused by the sharp rocky floor.

As our team arrived at Camantiles Island, which is two kilometers away from Bolo Beach and located at the Southern side of Alaminos, Camara told us that the area, which could accommodate 50 people, served as a camping site for kayaking enthusiasts and for team building activities.

Val Camara of the Philippine Kayaking Association gave us instructions. Then we put on life vests, hopped into the colorful kayaks and began our nature trip.

Paddling under the summer sun was tiring but the sight of the greenish water, white sands and the blue skies was worth the sweat. As we paddled along, Mae from the Hundred Islands Eco-Tour Association (HIETA) named each island we passed by. The Hundred Islands National Park has actually 123 islands and she memorized all names after eight months of training. She admitted though that there are more unnamed islands.

They usually charged P250 per hour for tourists who wanted to rent a kayak and got members of HIETA to assist them, according to Mae. The most visited islands were the Quezon Island, Governor's Island and Children's Island. Quezon Island, she said, was the most beautiful island.

While we were on our way to the mangrove area, we saw flocks of wild brown ducks. We then paddled through to a century-old cave called Quirino Cave. It has a 27-meter underground stream. As we entered the cave, we saw bats flying around. Under the stream is a rock formation similar to a table top. But no one dared to jump into the water after we were told that sea snakes also live in the water.

As our team got out of the cave, rain began to pour. The rain brought worries to some. Some thought that it might cause strong waves. But our fears were literally doused when we found that it was such as joy kayaking through the rain. Eventually, the rain stopped when we arrived at Shell Island, where our team took a dip into the shallow yet rocky lagoon.

Kayaking a 7-kilometer stretch for almost three hours is an achievement for beginners like me. It might have caused sunburn and aching arms but it was worth communing with nature, especially if you're surrounded by it, literally.

ONE placard read: "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle". Another one said: "Save water, save the trees." Dressed in orange and green, one group in last weekend's Panagbenga, or Baguio's annual Flower Festival, "accessorized" their costumes with these messages. Panagbenga is the best and the worst time to be in Baguio--the city already overcrowded as it is with college students from all over, call centers that lure job-seekers from nearby provinces (which gave rise to nightspots like Nevada Square) and yes, Korean tourists. During the parade, I chatted with Jen Gapasin of the Green City Baguio Coalition, who said her group took advantage of the festival in getting their message across--about their plea to make Baguio "green" again. Many years ago, a former mentor (from a previous job) once told me about this place called Sagada that he described this way: it was how Baguio looked like before it became a bustling city. And so I went to Sagada and saw how it pristine and green it was then--though it became less and less so during succeeding visits after seeing many parked SUVs. So what now Baguio? I have fond childhood memories of spending summer vacations there with cousins who lived along Loakan Airport. After spending covering the parade tucked inside a sea of people, I was dying to get out of the downtown area. So I took my family to John Hay, the one place I could think of then to get away from the crowd. But as I was driving on Loakan Road, I noticed that there are less pine trees now and that they looked a lot "green" before. How about being more specific and come up with a slogan like: "Save the pine trees?"

WHO says skydiving and acrophobia--the medical term for fear of heights--cannot mix? We had a chance encounter with Master Sergeant Alex Busto (of the Philippine Army Parachute Team) while he was folding his parachute moments after landing. He was among a number of skydivers who joined the recent Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark Field. So back to my question: If I have fear of heights, will I be able try skydiving? Or maybe muster enough courage and not puke just thinking about it? Well, he told me a story about a colleague of his in the Army who was able to conquer his fear of heights and skydive. So how long should someone like me train before I can actually jump off a plane? He said maybe a week or maybe even less. Really, now. The guy’s been jumping off planes for more than decade now, so I have no choice but to take his word for it. Not that I’m planning to jump off a plane anytime soon. Check out this video showing our interview with Msg. Busto, wherein he explains how a skydiver should land properly.

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga--Aside from the grand spectacle of seeing gigantic floating balloons dotting the sky, this year's Hot Air Balloon Fiesta also aims to promote aviation as a career. Twenty-five hot air balloons of different shapes and sizes took off this morning here for the opening of this four-day event. These balloons were flown into the country by cargo firm UPS from participant countries including Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, France, United States of America, United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Netherlands and Malaysia. Touted as the country's biggest aviation event, the event also includes skydiving, paragliding and kite-flying exhibitions by military and privately-run flying clubs. Held yearly here at the former American air base, this year's event is expected to better last year in terms of the number of visitors. According to event organizers, last year's event drew in some 55,000 visitors. "From the looks of it we'll probably double that this year or add at least 20,000 more visitors," said Joy Roa, event director of the 4th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. The opening day also saw a lot of students who came in at sunrise to witness balloons take off amidst the clear weather condition here. In an interview with INQUIRER.net, Roa said this year's event include numerous activities lined up for young people to learn more about aviation. "All the (flying) schools are here giving lectures on how to start a career in aviation whether being a mechanic or air traffic controller, a pilot or even a flight attendant," he said. Tourists can ride a hot air balloon for $150 or about P 7,000. Free rides are also accommodated but on a first-come, first-served basis, according to Roa. The event, which runs until the weekend, charges an entrance fee of P100 per person.

SEVENTY five skydivers will jump. Twenty five colorful balloons will fly. And balloons shaped like elephants, tigers, sugarhouse, mug cup, para-gliders, kites, helicopters, and planes will take to the sky during Clark Freeport’s 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF). Apart from the Philippines, other countries including Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, France, United States of America, United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Netherlands and Malaysia will participate in this year’s event. “Our objective is to open the eyes of everybody of what aviation is about. It gives the country an opportunity for aviation tourism. This is an opportunity for us to show that we have a friendly sky. We welcome them in flying in our airspace and see the beautiful country side,” says Joy Roa, events director of PIHABF. Tourists can ride a hot air balloon for $150 or about P 7, 200. But for those who cannot afford, free rides are being offered but only on a first come first serve basis, according to Roa. Chic Talde, marketing director of PIHABF, says about 80 percent of the sales from the event will go to a foundation, which will offer full college scholarships for high school students. These scholarships are meant for students who want to land a career on aviation. The PIHABF foundation has been accommodating about four to five scholars every year since 2007. Currently, their foundation has sent seven scholars to college. “A lot of Filipinos have good motor skills. We don’t need to be tall to be able to fly,” says Roa. . PIHABF expects to gather tourists and aviation enthusiasts from all over the world from February 12 to 15, 2009 at the Armed Forces of the Philippines grounds. Aside from aviation tourism, Roa says that the 14th PIHABF aims to promote social responsibility.

IT was when I was around 14 years old I remember buying my first Swatch. I saved enough from my allowance along with discount coupons cut out from newspapers at that time. The only place I know where to buy one was in SM North in Quezon City--specifically in the Annex area because I've seen a Swatch store when our teachers took us there during a class field trip to Manila. A field trip then wouldn't be complete without a visit to an SM mall. I never went to Manila on my own before then, but in previous trips (by car or bus) I've always figured out that once you've seen it you know you're already in Manila. And so I skipped class one morning and instead hopped on a bus bound for Cubao, told the conductor to drop me off at SM North, hopped on the bus a few hours after and was back in Tarlac in time to show off my brand-spanking new Swatch to high school buddies who may have thought I was sick that day. For people coming from the Northern provinces, it was then the first SM you can find as you enter the city--until SM began expanding in the provinces. In fact, SM Tarlac is set to open this year. Through the years, SM North has largely overshadowed by more recent developments like SM Megamall and SM Mall of Asia. But with head-to-head competition from Ayala's Trinoma, SM North has undergone major re-development. The renovated SM North Annex was opened to the public in time for the holidays last December. Now the whole of SM North is being billed as SM's largest by far with a total area of more than 425,000 square meters, making it the third-largest mall in the world and of course, the biggest yet in the country, according to SM executives I interviewed during a recent visit to the new six-storey Annex. It's definitely a lot different from the place where I bought my first Swatch. Or the one place I remember was my favorite to go see a late-night movie (especially the not-so-popular ones) during my college years in nearby UP Diliman. Here's a video I took when I was given a brief tour of the ongoing developments at SM North.

By Anna Valmero INQUIRER.net Why is duman an expensive rice delicacy? One pati equivalent to 1.8 kilogram of the very young grain of duman sells for P2,500 or $40. To know about the process of duman making and the state of this industry, we trooped to Sta. Rita, Pampanga. Pampanga provincial tourism officer Ian Mejia said the existence of the duman-making tradition dates back to pre-Hispanic Kapampangan society. He said Friar Diego Bernardo has mentioned duman in “Vocabulario de Lengua Pampanga” published in 1700. Pampanga towns such as Sitio Dalan Betiswere were believed to have been making duman, according to Pampanga provincial documents. But it is only the town of Sta. Rita that has preserved the tradition until today. I met Victor Galang. He comes from a family that is known to be among the first duman makers in Sta. Rita, according to Mejia. “Matagal na naming ikinabubuhay ang paggawa ng duman. Minana ko pa ang paraan ng paggawa nito mula sa lolo ko sa tuhod [Duman has been our family business and primary livelihood since the time of my great grandparents,” he said. According to Galang, they use the traditional process of duman-making despite the availability of modern rice harvesting equipment. Workers harvest the young grains of the "lacatan malutu" rice variety. The green color of duman comes from being harvested before maturity. The grains for making duman are harvested during the cold months of the year because the grain needs to retain the right amount of moisture for it to be made into duman. The harvested grains are processed in a shaded area called "pandulmahan." Workers then separate the young grain from the mature ones through "paspas"—they strike a bundle of rice stalks to the ground to let mature grains fall while the grains left are made into duman. The mature lacatan grains are gathered and divided between the workers at the end of the day. The young grains are eventually threshed in a hand-cranked "quisquisan" to separate the grains from the stem, which are then collected for carabao fodder. It is said that paspas and quisquisan are innovations in the process of duman making. Traditionally, workers pick the grains one by one by sight and feel, according to records of the province. The grains are then gathered and cleaned, winnowed and sifted to separate the empty husks (or sepu) from the kernels. The grains are washed and rinsed until the water is clear. It is then soaked for an hour or two in water, said Galang. Meanwhile, the wood stove called “lungo” is pre-heated together with the thick clay pot where the lacatan grains are roasted for half an hour per batch. The grains are then cooled gradually and then spread on ground mats to cool further, Galang said as he showed us the different stages of the duman production. After the grains have cooled, they are pounded in mortar, sifted and winnowed for a total of five hours. After the final pounding, the grained are polished and the whole grains are sorted from the broken. Only the whole grains are sold as duman. Mejia said the revival of the duman industry was largely due to the Duman Festival started three years ago. The duman produced in Sta. Rita reaches the tables of Southeast Asia. Bulk orders are made by balikbayans hailing from Pampanga because they miss the delicacy they grew up with. “Isang buong araw ng trabaho ang kailangan para makagawa ng duman. Ang kinikita namin halos sakto lang sa puhunan dahil sa haba ng proseso at dami ng tauhan pero ipagpapatuloy namin ang paggawa nito dito sa Sta. Rita [It takes one whole day to make duman. We just break even due to the long process and number of workers required to make duman. But we will continue to make duman here in Sta. Rita], Mejia said.

Marjorie Gorospe INQUIRER.net HOW lucky are you in the year of the Ox? Being born under a different sign, I decided to visit this store in Binondo called Charm General Merchandise to get some answers. Lucky for me, store owner Maxima Tiu was kind enough to explain the lucky charms for this year. “Ox symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. People under this sign are born leaders and have the ability to achieve great things,” says Tiu. She says people who born in the year of the Ox are compatible with those born under the sign of the snake, rabbit and rooster. But she says that Ox people should avoid those born under the sheep sign. But whether or not you were born in the year of the Ox, Tiu suggests other lucky charms like chimes that can bring good luck. Displaying an Ox figurine at home or work also brings good luck. Tiu says there is really no such thing as the “best lucky charm” for anyone. But she says we should not rely on luck in achieving success in life. As the Ox symbolizes hard work, people should also work hard to find prosperity. And it is through sheer Ox-like determination that we achieve success. Watch my video interview with her to get yourself acquainted with lucky charms.

AT the start of the year, festivals in the country open with the “mother of Philippine festivals:” the Ati-Atihan in Kalibo, Aklan. INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Alex Villafania and production specialist Edzelle Pena and I were witnessed to the Ati-Atihan festival. For six days, we roamed Aklan and visited Caticlan, Boracay, Kalibo and Batan. But three days before our flight, a plane mishap was reported in Caticlan airport, which affected operations in the airport. Our trip, however, was smooth and we landed safely despite the windy weather. From the airport, we were ushered to a jetty port, where we boarded a 30-seater boat or “banca.” The boat braved the big waves. After 15 minutes, we got to the famous Boracay island. This seven-kilometer island has been famous since its discovery in the 1970s. But it was my first time to have set foot on its pristine white sand. The fine white sand felt like talc powder. Maybe, that’s the reason why many tourists, mostly Europeans and Koreans, love the island. Since it was a January, a cold breeze gave us the chills. Yet tourists were there. I saw footprints on the white sand, sand castles and people taking a dip in the blue-green waters of Boracay. I saw locals braiding hair of tourists. There were also a lot of tattoo shops and little stores selling all kinds of merchandise. Boracay is increasingly becoming a commercial district because of the presence of a mall and branded stores. Still, small art shops abound in Boracay. While walking along the beach, we spotted a sculpted dolphin on the sand. There were also sculptures and paintings sold in the island. Inspired by the seascape of Boracay, artists there were selling shirts inspired by the island. We also saw hand-painted shirts being sold. For a first-timer like me, capturing the sunset was on the top of my list. Unfortunately, the sky was cloudy that day. After two days, we went back to Caticlan and boarded a van going to Kalibo. We paid P100 each for that ride. There are other modes of transportation like the jeepney and bus. The trip from Caticlan to Kalibo took two hours. We encountered traffic in the town of Makato. On our way, we saw locals --young and old --dressed in their colorful costumes dancing to the beat of the drums. Apparently, the town of Makato was celebrating its own Ati-Atihan festival ahead of Kalibo. When we arrived in Kalibo, we felt a very warm welcome. The spirit of the festival can already be felt, as the tribes began dancing and beating their drums even before the actual festival cum contest on January 17. As we strolled around town, we noticed Aetas selling charms near a grocery store. I talked to one of them and learned that the charms were parts of a tree used to cure illnesses or to protect people from the “aswang.” Up to this day, there are still a few people who believe in the existence of this mythical creature in Filipino folklore. Aswangs are especially popular in Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo, which are neighboring provinces of Aklan. On our third day in Aklan, we together with lawyer Sonny Regalado, a native of Batan, traveled for about two hours from Kalibo to Batan to find out more about the “Code of Kalantiaw.” The municipality of Batan is home of the shrine of Datu Kalantiaw who was believed to have promulgated the Code of Kalantiaw in 1433. However, in 2004, the National Historical Institute (NHI) has declared that the code had no valid historical basis. Hence, the NHI pulled out from the shrine. Wandering in Aklan for six days taught me how a festival like the Ati-Atihan can give color to a simple life in the province.

By Anna Valmero INQUIRER.net AZURE is one word to describe the beaches of Anilao in Batangas. And it is also the name of the first five-star hotel to rise in the area. Batangas is known as Metro Manila's "Southern Doorstep" and it offers busy metropolitan executives an alternative for refreshing mini-vacations. About two hours of travel from Manila, one is transported to a place of fresh breeze and lush vegetation lined with clear, cobalt-blue waters. It is for this reason that in 2005, Vivere Hotel general manager Elvie Sanchez sent a team to scout for a place to develop a resort in Anilao. Elmer Garcia, officer-in-charge, said it took three years to develop the half-hectare lot where Vivere's Azure Hotel and Resort is located. Vivere Hotel architect Ryan Untivero and interior designer Ronnie Bugay conceptualized the native-inspired design of the hotel, which opened to the public in late 2008. Bugay designed each of the 13 rooms in the four-storey resort building based on a specific theme, said Garcia. The furniture is all Filipino-made--from the lounge area to the interiors of the rooms, said Garcia. Each room has glass walls so visitors can view the beach while inside the room, said Pete Dacuycuy, Azure information officer. Dacuycuy added the glass walls also allow natural light to enter the rooms. Meanwhile, some rooms have wooden azoteas where visitors can sit during midday to enjoy the sea breeze and the sound of dancing bamboo grasses or chirping birds. This way they can experience nature during their stay at the resort, he said. At the hotel, one can enjoy the infinity pool located 10 meters above the sea--which gives one a panoramic view of the sea and nearby snorkeling hot spots in the Sombrero and Eagle's Point islands. Few steps from the pool are open huts furnished with beds and pillows where one can take a nap, read a book or have a massage. (Upon booking, visitors are asked if they want to have a massage included in their accommodation package at Azure). Single and double kayaks are available at the resort, which visitors can use for free. The resort can also organize island hopping tours to Eagle's Point or Sombrero Islands, where visitors can enjoy hiking, bird watching and snorkeling. Being at the beach is also good opportunity to photograph or shoot sunset and sunrise. If you are fond of collecting sea shells, make sure you are up in the morning just after sunrise when a strip of the shore is exposed at low tide. Or you may bump into a Badjao who sells authentic pearls at a cheaper price, just as I did. Garcia said the management is planning to buy an island where guests can stay overnight, given the resort's proximity to snorkeling spots. Garcia said Azure caters to office functions, team building activities and family outings. Lodging and meal service package rates from Php7,500 per person for single occupancy (depends on room type) and Php6,500 per person for twin sharing.