Asin Hot Springs

Guess where we celebrated Mother's Day. Yep, as you may have guessed in the above photo, in a resort. But would you believe this resort is only half an hour's drive away from Baguio?

Asin Hot Springs has been a popular destination for the locals to warm up from the cool Baguio weather. Once upon a time, there was only one establishment taking advantage of the hot springs this area offers guests. Now, quite a number of resorts had sprung off.

It is said that it takes three days and two nights to get to Asin Hot Springs. This is so because you have to pass through two tunnels. When we were in high school, our adventurous spirits brought us to this place on foot. We hiked all the way here, and we have some photos along the way to prove it. I don't have scans to show here, unfortunately, but we have returned to the lone resort way back in college by jeepney.

Into the second tunnel then turn left

Last week, I was amazed at how the place has changed. Luckily, it's for the better. The once bumpy ride has been replaced by smooth, cemented roads. The rickety, wooden bridge where we had our photo taken way back in high school has been replaced by a steel bridge. But the free-flowing river beyond is still there, as merry as ever.

Last weekend, I was expecting that we were going to the resort we were familiar with way down the road after the second tunnel. Instead, we made a sharp left turn right after this tunnel. And it led us to modern swimming pool facilities. Thank goodness. The old one I was accustomed to had a pool that was green in some parts due to algae growth and it was quite slippery. And that was over ten year ago.

This resort (whose name eludes me right now) is as modern as you can get. Shower rooms and pools with heated water, small pools with deliciously warm water, slides. Large crowds gather here especially on weekends for family gatherings.

The irony of it is, no matter how many times I have visited Asin Hot Springs, I have never experienced taking a dip in the hot springs. I would plan to, then take my time in the pool, and before I know it, the day is done.

Baby Jo-Lo can't wait to try the pool

What fun!

My sister made the trip happen. Thank you, Ate Catz!

[Cross-posted in Jo-Lo's blog]

Happy Mother's Day!

Ann of Apple of My Eyes tagged me some time back even though she was aware of the fact that I avoid it like the plague (except on a few occasions, like now. Baka magalit si Ann kapag hindi ko ginawa kaya gagawin ko na. Bwehehehe)

The tag calls for giving ten reasons why I married my other half. So here goes, in no particular order:

1. She's the mother of my very handsome boy, Jose Carlos. Of course, he inherited some of his good features from yours truly. O, hwag na kokontra. hehe.

2. She's funny, sometimes even without trying to be. And she's got this giggle that looks like she'll run out of air real soon. It's similar to Ernie of Sesame Street's giggle. Beat that.

Here we were looking for unique clothing items from the UK stores. This one's mano-po inspired. hehe

3. We have things in common. We like to eat, read books, play video games of the 80s arcade kind, we watch SciFi, fantasy, romantic, and comedy films.

She's my "accomplice" in trying out foodie places in Baguio

4. She's frugal. At least, now, we are able to save up. hehe

5. She drives me crazy. She decides one one thing, and in less than 5 minutes changes her mind. It drives me crazy.

6. Understanding. When I arrive here in Baguio feeling tired, I want to stay home even when she wants to go out and run errands etc. Most of the time, she lets me be. Dear, pagtimpla mo ko ng hot choco. Tapos bibili na ako ng gasul. hehehe

7. Simple. She's a simple girl from a simple girl. We do not splurge on dates, she dresses simply. I give her accessories such as bracelets and necklaces from Dessagirl and she likes wearing them. I buy extras for her friends and she likes them too and keeps them. hehe

8. She gives my simple whims. "Dear, let's see more of your province while we're there." I had two wonderful days. "Dear, let's buy Jonas' Delight at TeaHouse in Session Road!" She buys one and we have a wonderful dessert while watching TV. "Dear, let's buy plants for the garden!" She and Jo-Lo goes with me. "Dear, Happy Meal has a new toy! Let's buy some!" She gets the entire set for Jo-Lo hehe. Simple things for me that matters a lot.

9. She keeps our home spic and span. I'm not the organized type when it comes to fixing the bed and cleaning up and arranging the abubot of which we have a lot thanks to me.

Making suman at my parent's house.

10. Lastly, I married my other half because I love her!

Happy Mother's Day, Dearest! And Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers out there!

Now, to pass on the tag torch... if you are born in the month of October, looking forward to the last Harry Potter book and movie, and married, then you just got tagged!

Kubli at Dolores, Quezon

In the discussion of places to see in Dolors, Quezon, my companions agreed on visiting Kubli. Kubli, in the strictest sense of the word, meant "to hide". So I butted in their conversation and said "ha? Bakit tayo magtatago? (Huh? Why should we hide?)"

They laughed heartily. Kubli was a the name of a place a few minutes away from the town by tricycle. It sounded interesting enough, so that afternoon, we negotiated for a driver to take us there and wait so we can have a ride back.

Kubli is a privately-owned place located in Dagatan. It is adjacent to a place they call Crusher. Enroute to the place, I realized why they called the area is called as such. It was a place where rocks are harvested and broken into smaller, manageable pieces used in construction work. It was like an open pit mining operation going on in the area. My wife who hasn't been there in ages was also quite surprised at how extensive the excavation has progressed through the years. We crossed a bridge, and she marveled that the free-flowing river they passed through as kids was now reduced to a slow stream.

The tricycle cautiously made its way though the dusty road; we saw dump trucks and bulldozers busily hauling off boulders for processing. We stopped by the side of the road eventually, then we took a short walk through a narrow pathway. I was surprised to see a river running through a shallow valley. Beyond the river was the woods. It was as if the river was standing guard against the human contraptions from going beyond the vegetation on the other side.

The river was beautiful. Its clear waters gurgled merrily amongst the rocks strewn about its banks. There were bamboo pipes pierced against the earthen wall, and from it burst forth a healthy gush of fresh water. I washed my face and drank from it ... refreshing!


We crossed the river and trudged our way up the slope to the woods beyond. We were greeted by these triangular huts. It was a delightful sight. Guests here need not worry about bringing their tents!

We lingered for a few more minutes then went back to our ride. It was a mixed feeling for me, seeing a wonderful work of nature right beside a site where man has proven dominance over all.

I was deeply saddened at the sight of the excavation area. While I would like to hastily judge the "mining" operation, I sincerely hope they have the necessary environmental permits and has a rehabilitation program in place.