Category Archives: FotoFolio

Activities and Itineraries, Backpacking, FotoFolio, Leisure Trip, Provinces

FotoFolio: Waling Waling, the Queen of Philippine Orchids (and Malagos garden Resort)

May 3, 2013 geralynrigor 2 Comments

Did you take Sibika and Kultura classes wherein the teacher always discusses the “national something/someone” of the Philippines? I know it’s not the Philippines’ national flower (unless the Senate bill has been approved with an HoR counterpart) but being the “Queen of Philippine Orchids”, I’ve always wondered what the Waling Waling looked like in full bloom and splendid color.

Waling Waling, scientific name Euanthe sanderiana after orchidologist Henry Frederick Conrad Sander, is found in Mindanao island. While it is endemic in Cotabato and Zamboanga del Sur provinces as well, it is more popularly known to be seen in Davao as more people “know” that Mt. Apo, Waling-Waling’s home, is in this province.

So, when we had the chance to visit Malagos Garden Resort, we did not miss the chance to have face-time with the “Queen of Philippine Orchids”. (Well, at least that’s what I thought I was seeing or taking a photo of. hehe)

It was mainly purple in color, with spots of a darker shade. I can’t remember how it smelled though, only what it looked like. I haven’t seen that much orchids in my life but really, the Waling Waling was a beauty to behold. I find it, uhm, detailed and intricate. In the sense that though the flowers essentially seem the same at first glance, a lingering look will prove otherwise.

Apart from the Waling-Waling, there are other flowers and orchids to see and admire at Malagos Garden Resort.

There’s an area that serves as a playground both for kids and adults. I think Malagos also serves as a team building, retreat and/or camping venue. There’s also these huge chess pieces that you can play with, or have photos of. The chessboard is more of these squares spread over patches of grassy land.

What I particularly liked at the Malagos Garden Resort area was the topiary of different forms and shapes. I am no gardener and neither is any of my immediate family members. But, I like landscapes, natural or man-made and the topiary at Malagos made me happy!

So yes, whether you’re interested in seeing the Walling-Waling orchid for real or you just want a soothing green space to relax, a visit to Malagos Garden Resort as part of your Davao itinerary is hereby recommended!

About Me, Activities and Itineraries, Backpacking, Budget, Cities, CouchSurfing, Countries, Food, FotoFolio, Leisure Trip, Provinces, Religion, Transportation

My 25th Year in Travel

April 27, 2013 geralynrigor 3 Comments

Yep, today is a personal post. I mean, of course, everything I share with you on this travel blog is from my personal experience but this one is different. It’s my birthday blog post! Today, I turn 26 and to commemorate the completion of my quarter life (assuming of course that I live to 100 years), I would like to share with you my 25th year in travel.

Continue reading My 25th Year in Travel →

Activities and Itineraries, Backpacking, Budget, FotoFolio, Leisure Trip, Provinces

FotoFolio: Philippine Eagle Center, Davao (eagles, and more!)

April 18, 2013 geralynrigor Leave a comment

I was just looking at old photo albums in Facebook when I came across some photos of animals and plants, not to mention eagles, at the Philippine Eagle Center during the trip I made to Davao City with my brods and sisses from UPLB DevComSoc.

Suffice it to say that it brought me down memory lane. So before I succumb to the nostalgia, I “hurriedly” selected some photos which I would like to share with you. They’re not all eagles, but of other flora and fauna as well. The Philippine Eagle Center, apart from being popularly known as home to Pag-asa (hope), the first Philippine eagle bred in captivity, is also the home for several other avian species (birds) and animals. And yes, insects and flowers too!

So, if you can’t go to Davao to watch these birds and insects and walk along the green pathways of the Philippine Eagle Center, I hope that some of these photos can somehow transport you and let you enjoy a visual wildlife (though no longer as wild) encounter!

If you enjoyed this visual tour of the Philippine Eagle Center, wait till you actually see the eagles and animals and walk through it’s pathways! These photos were taken almost two years ago and for sure, there’s more to see at the Philippine Eagle Center now, especially after Pag-asa and Kalinawan gave birth to another eagle!

Activities and Itineraries, Cities, CouchSurfing, Countries, FotoFolio, Leisure Trip, Transportation

FotoFolio: Walking Tour of South Bombay (Images of Colonial Mumbai)

April 8, 2013 geralynrigor 7 Comments

I miss Mumbai. There, I said it. I lived in Navi Mumbai (New Bombay, totally different twin city) and I would go to South Bombay (aka SoBo) whenever me and my friends would go out for dinner and drinks. Why SoBo and not in Bandra, the party/gimik capital of Mumbai? I think it’s mainly because it is more accessible and hanging out in Colaba has a more chill vibe. Not to mention, I personally find South Mumbai more pleasant to walk through, with more character and history than the upscale Bandra area.

Needless to say, South Bombay and Colaba is also the most touristy. But hey, when you live in the city, you don’t really mind the mix of the local and foreign crowd. You enjoy it. People-watching and all. Being a foreigner myself, though I am not as tourist as the newly-arrived ones anymore, I always find something new to discover in Mumbai.

Anyway, I am not in a talking (writing) mood much today. Unless I want to end up too nostalgic to function. Haha. Therefore, I would jus want to share with you the images of Colonial Mumbai. I always call South Bombay the British area, primarily because the structures you would see closely resemble what you would find in London. I think (as referenced to movies and TV series).

I’ve included here a series of photographs, showing these British colonial structures. I tried my best to put them in the walking order, although my memory might be messed up already since there were some turns during these several walkthrough of South Mumbai.

I hope you enjoyed these virtual walking tour of South Bombay. Maybe you’ll get to walk through Colonial Mumbai someday too! I’ve heard several mixed reviews of being a tourist in Mumbai. Admittedly, the city can be unnerving and overwhelming but hey, give it more than a day or two and surely, you’ll get to know and feel it’s vibe too. If you need a walking guide (especially for couchsurfers), let me know and I might introduce you to a friend or two who may be able to show you around Colaba, South Mumbai and the rest of the city!

Activities and Itineraries, Backpacking, FotoFolio, Leisure Trip, Provinces, Religion

FotoFolio: Sunrise at Mt. Kanchenjunga (3rd highest peak in the world)

March 20, 2013 geralynrigor 4 Comments

In my CouchSurfing profile, I shared that one of the most amazing things I have seen in my entire life is the sunrise at Mt. Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas. Mt. Kangchenjunga is the 3rd highest mountain in the world at 8,586m (28,169ft).

No, I did not climb Mt. Kanchenjunga but I watched the sunrise from the Tiger Hill in Darjeeling, a popular tea estates tourist spot, in West Bengal, northeast India. Darjeeling has an average elevation of 2,050m (6,710ft). Tiger Hill in Ghoom, where you can find the world’s highest railway station, is about 11kms from Darjeeling.

In order to see the sunrise at Kanchenjunga, Julie (my VSO co-vol, friend and travel buddy in India) and I had to wake up at bloody 3:30AM at an “I-don’t-know-how-cold-nut-I’m-freezing” temperature! Being in India for a while by then (October, 7 months in!), we didn’t really expect them to be serious about the pre-arranged shared jeepney to Tiger Hill, the viewing point, to go by 4:00AM! But yes, they did and even called us up before 4 to make sure we were on our way.

With the number of shared jeeps, vans, cars and other vehicles heading that way—there’s like about 200 vehicles at the parking lot and that’s a conservative count—the traffic was really bad especially when it was already nearing Tiger Hill.

Upon alighting, we were told to just go to the ticket booth to pay for the Rs 10 entry fee to the hill’s “viewing deck” area. Since we thought we could rough it out anyway, Juls and I decided not to go for the extra Rs 20- and Rs 30-rupee tickets for the viewing deck that’s inside a taller building.

We joined the multitude of jacket- and sweater-clad (sometimes with bonnets too coz it’s too freaking cold!) of local and foreign tourists first on the right side of the building for an earlier view of the sunrise, you know, ala-Breaking Dawn!

I thought that was it! That we were unlucky to see Mt. Kanchenjunga because it’s too cloudy! But I was wrong! Because, the sun’s rays are to hit Kanchenjunga in the opposite side of the viewing deck. Juls was the one who saw it just when we were about to walk down!

Forgive the photo quality here (click to enlarge; I can give you original resolution ones if you’d request) but I assure you, the white snow-capped mountain peaks of Kanchenjunga turning into varied hues of orange is indeed a sight to behold.

It was an amazing moment for me. Like, really amazing. It’s not everyday that we get the chance to witness a natural beauty, some say a testament of God’s gift to humanity, and be blessed with the feeling of a better day unfolding before our eyes, sharing it with strangers from all walks of life. Sunrise at Mt. Kanchenjunga is amazing, isn’t it?

After the sunrise,I think Juls and I descended from the main viewing deck and found our way to the shared jeepney. Yes, the day has just begun as the Rs 150 tour is good for three points of interest in Darjeeling (Tiger Hill, Ghoom Monastery, and Batasia 360 degree loop), stories of which I will tell in my next posts.