M/S Ryndam

ryndam-chair

Our means of transport around the inner passages of Alaska and where we were billeted for 7 nights. It was smooth sailing all the way from Vancouver to Seward.

ms-ryndam

A moderately sized ship that feels cozy and homey. Far from the humongous cruise ships that looked more like a structure than a ship.

celebretuty-cruise

I however will not comment until I have been in one lest I eat my words. I never thought I’d be raving, never thought they were my thing but it seemed like the most economical way to get around Alaska. So I decided to keep an open mind and I’m happy I did. A wonderful surprise, I’ll say.

deck-6

The Ryndam appealed to me because this 720feet vessel is designed to carry fewer guests and being so provided more space yet cozy enough to get to know some fellow traveller either at the bar or on shore excursions.

foie-gras Yes… that’s sinful!

An experience I wouldn’t mind repeating. I vividly remember an overflow of food at any given time, impressive amenities, enjoyed especially the wet floor where they had a heated lounge chair which never fails to drift me off to dreamland.

mojito My Mojoto!

Crow’s Nest bar was where we spent a lot of our time on board not only because of the booze and great bunch of people but also

view

because it is indoors and had an almost panoramic view… well, of mostly the ocean but when we approached each town,

mountain-view

we’d get great views of mountains,

waterfalls

waterfalls,

islands-2

islands

whale

and sometimes we’d catch a few dolphins and whales riding with the ship. I’d say it is the best place to hang out and get the best of both worlds.

sunset-2

Oh, the sunsets were spectacular too and the service – impeccable.

Allow me to show you around.

bow The bow

crow's-nest-bar Crow’s Nest Bar

deck-at-sunset Walking around the deck at sunset

float-planes Float planes at the Vancouver Pier

Our Lifeboat Station (very important information)

Our Ocean View Stateroom

Rotterdam Dining Room features impeccable service. Five course menus includes continental cuisine, vegetarian and low carb option.

starter at rotterdam My starter of seafood cocktail at The Rotterdam

And more of the view!

islands

mountain-view-2

mountains-and-islands

And some fabulous sunsets!

sunset-3

sunset-4

sunset-5

M/S Ryndam is part of Holland America Lines.

Posted on November 12, 2009 by Jenn 0

Animals in the Wild

Anmals-in-the-Wild

Wildlife. It was the major reason why we chose to go to Banff. It is home to a wide variety of wildlife. We were not disapointed.

Deer-2

On our first day, we saw this deer an hour after we arrived at the park. We will soon come to realize that it is quite common to see them along the road. We however wanted to increase our chances to see bears and learn more about the animals of the National Park, and joining a guided tour was our best bet.

And so on the evening of our 3^rd day, at a quarter past 6, we were seated comfortably on the bus, excited for what laid ahead. With enthusiasm, we listened to our guide talk about the habitats of the park and how Banff’s bear population is suffering in the hands of human, with trains being the single largest killer.

Deer

First sighting – a deer again and we have not left town yet. “They are common along the Bow Valley Parkway although their population is quite low now,” declared our guide. He appeared to be very knowledgeable but thanks to an Aussie in the group who had an incredibly keen eye. He spotted most of our sightings that evening. I was impressed.

“Because of the dwindling population, it is harder to spot bears nowadays. I will however try to bring you to where I think the bears will be.” assures our guide. He was either 1) really good 2) really lucky or 3) he was lying about the dwindling population. 😉 Halfway through the tour, we saw people out of their vehicles and on the road trying to get a glimpse or rather a good photo of

black-bear

2 black bears (actually), a mom and her cub! First of all, you do not get out of your vehicle when you spot a wildlife, let alone a bear. “Believe me, you will not know what hit you when they pound on you” said our guide to the other group who were trying to inch closer to the bears. Well, pound they didn’t but retreat they did… luckily after A managed some shots (from inside the bus, of course). Money well spent. Grizzlies next… perhaps? 😉

One not so lucky occasion was when we spotted a herd of mountain goats. With several cars behind us on a winding road, we had to sadly drive along. As we drove around the corner still watching the herd, it was even more painful to see them jumping off to the road. A rare sight and a perfect shot that was not to be. We were too far and they were too quick. A sight to behold nevertheless.

Other animals sighted around Banff – birds and small mammals included.

bird-2

bird

Caribou

magpie

squirrel

Squirrel.

deer-crossing They do have right of way!

As we got closer to Jasper, the easier it was to spot wildlife along the road like these bighorn sheep relaxing by the roadside. Not so rare apparently. So excited, we forgot to stay in our car and was told by some concerned citizens on the danger of being so close to the animals. Shame on us but they were so inviting, not budging, posing for us. We eventually trekked back to our car… after we shot away. 😀

big-horn-sheeps

Bighorn Sheep

bighorn-sheeps-2

Yes…

bighorn-sheeps-3 Right on the Hi-Way!

Posted on August 3, 2009March 3, 2010 by Jenn 2

PhotoHunt: Rock(s)

canadian-rockies

Mighty. Rugged. Magnificent.

Rolling foothills, formidable mountains and pre-historic hoodoos are a few of Alberta’s natural landmarks. What is most impressive though are Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, compose of the world famous resort towns of Banff, Jasper, Canmore, Kananaskis, Lake Louise and Waterton. Alpine towns sprinkled through the Canadian Rockies and are ideal starting points for any mountain adventures. This week’s photo hunt theme is all about Rock(s) and I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off this series of beautiful towns and majestic mountains so stick around for more of the Rockies in the coming weeks. Aside from beautiful mountains and lakes, we’ll be seeing wildlife too. Stay tuned.

The higest of the world’s mountains it seems, has to make but a single gesture of magnificence to be the lord of all, vast in unchallenged and isolated supremacy.

George Mallory

Posted on July 18, 2009June 16, 2012 by Jenn 5

Pretty in Pink!

Flamingos Credits- Papers: Oscraps Moonrise Paper Dtope 2, Jennilyn 3, Dyoung 3; Embellishments: Oscraps Moonrise Bling 3-awall; Brush: JSprague Stitching

The lakeshores of Lake Nakuru literally turn pink as millions of flamingos feed on its highly alkaline lake, set in a picturesque landscape of acacia woodlands and grasslands next to Nakuru town.

Nakuru

dramatic entrance

A very shallow and strongly alkaline lake, it is world known as feeding grounds of both lesser and greater flamingos and one of my favorite parks in East Africa.

flamingos

The main reason for establishing this national park was to protect its huge flocks of the lesser flamingos. Despite being the world’s most numerous flamingos, this bird is classified as near threatened due to its lack of suitable breeding site. Depended on rainfalls, the lake keep decreasing since 1997. The ecosystem is threatened by annual drought.

flamingoes-3

shallow to dry lake

The second most visited park in Kenya, this small park has been dubbed “the greatest bird spectacle on earth” when thousands of flamingos landed into the lake years ago. It has become a favorite destination for not only ornithologists but also bird and wildlife enthusiasts. And the flamingos are definitely the reason to be in Nakuru!

flamingoes-2

Lake Nakuru National Park is situated approximately 2-hour drive away from Nairobi. A gentle, billowing terrain with open bush and woodlands dominates it. It is also one of the saline lake systems lying in the Great Rift Valley.

nakuru-enroute

enroute to Nakuru

Famous for its abundant birdlife…

Pelicans

Lake Naukuru also has waterbucks, impalas, and hippopotamus.

waterbuck

waterbuck

Game viewing is relatively easy: buffalos, leopard, lions, and the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe…

buffalo-flamingo

cape buffalo and the flamingos as its backdrop

giraffe

not a Rothschild’s giraffe

the bushlands offers eland, steenbok, impala, while the hyrax occupies the cliffs.

hyrax

hyrax

And speaking of cliffs, the best view of the lake is from Baboon cliff.

flamingoes-from-cliff

view from the top

Lake Nakuru is also home to the Kenya Rhino Conservation Project and therefore an excellent place to see rhinos. The woodland and forest are now home to both black and white rhino. Following the ravages of poaching, in the late 80’s, only 2 black rhinos remained. Creating a rhino sanctuary within the park and reintroducing a breeding herd have recognized the park internationally as an important conservation area.

white-rhinos

white rhinos

Lake Nakuru… not to be missed when in Kenya. It was definitely one of the of the highlights of my African adventure!

Frame credit: Oscraps Moonrise frame – awall

Posted on May 21, 2009September 15, 2010 by Jenn 6

Migration of the Wildebeest

Almost. It was July and the start of the migration. Perfect timing. After all, our trip to Africa started with the idea of this “much documented” migration. Well, no “Great Wildebeest Migration” for us BUT it was still a haven for viewing a multitude of all sorts of animals in a 5-mile radius. And just to witness and be in an African savannah is enough to thrill us no end.

gathering

zebras and wildebeests

They were getting ready for the migration, we were told. Zebras were queuing as if for immigration (to pass the border hee hee!) 😀

queuing-zebras

zebras in a line

and hundreds of wildebeest grazing and waiting perhaps for their turn to queue? 😀 Sometime between July and October, the famous Masai Mara National Reserve reverberates to the thumps of millions of hoofs as the Great Wildebeest Migration billows. Even if we missed this, we were thrilled nonetheless to just have a “NatGeo” moment.

wildebeests

wildebeests (waiting for their turn?)

Everything about Kenya’s finest wildlife reserve is outstanding. The wildlife is abundant in Masai Mara and the rolling grassland makes certain that animals are always within field of vision. After grazing in Tanzania’s northern Serengeti, as if in one accord, a large number of wildebeest and zebra enter the Masai Mara around the end of June drawn by the sweet grass brought about by the long rains of April and May.

buffalos

steenbok

steenboks

The rolling grasslands, the diversity of the inhabitants, the acacia trees fulfilled my expectation of the African landscape depicted in Out of Africa.

sunset

savannah

It is where the word “safari” is in its truest sense. We even witnessed a cheetah take down a wildebeest. A highlight it definitely was for the day.

cheetahs

cheetahs (before the attack!)

A sad note though… scientists at the Nairobi based International Livestock Research Institute (ILPI) have found that the numbers of giraffes, hartebeests, impalas, warthogs, topis and waterbucks noticeably and persistently fell throughout the reserve between 1989 & 2003. They blame it on the increasing human settlement around the unfenced park.

hartebeests-2

hartebeests

running-gazelles

gazelles in action

Seeing the Big 9 was an experience unparalleled. And what are they, you may ask? The Big 5s are the Buffalos, Elephants, Leopards, Lions and Rhinoceroses and the Big 9 extends to the Cheetahs, Zebras, Giraffes, and Hippos. Yes my friends, we saw them all and save for the Leopard that didn’t get photographed because it was just too fast and nimble.

elephant

lion

mama lion

zebra zebras

A trip to Africa is obviously not complete without experiencing a safari and is almost always the highlight of one’s trip. It was for us and we went to not 1 but 4 great safaris in Kenya and Tanzania. Awesome! Stay tuned for more safari tales (hopefully soon!) 😉

Posted on May 7, 2009July 31, 2010 by Jenn 7

Guintubdan

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into tress. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.

John Muir

guintubdan-falls1

Credits: Template – Bannerwoman Designs Jan 12 template; Papers – Oscraps Moonrise Papers: awoll 4, dyoung 2, dyoung 3, dyoung 4, jcantrill 2, ninascraps 5, vickistegull

With the manifold of attractions this province has to offer, Negros Occidental has been earning its mark as a destination of choice of both local and foreign tourists. With its heritage, cultural and nature destinations, it appeals to all kinds of tourists.

kanlaon

Soon as the plane landed, we headed west and spent the night at Rafael Salas Park for an early start the next day. But before heading to Rafael Salas, we met up with our guide/organizer, Billy Torres, at his family’s vacation house overlooking the formidable volcano also known as Mt. Kanlaon.

kanlaon-sign

At the foot of Kanlaon serving as its gateway is Guintubdan, one reason why people find themselves in these lush hills. The other reason is to take pleasure in the many waterfalls and scenic views of the park. Half of the group went on to Mt. Kanlaon which would entail 8-10 hours of trekking to the summit, while the other half (of which I am part of) hiked to 4 of the many waterfalls Guintubdan has to offer.

guintubdan-hike

The trail was manageable with a few slippery areas, it being a rainforest. At one point though, we crossed beautiful landscapes with tall pine trees, reminiscent of the Mountain Province.

guintubdan-falls-11

Because it was a long holiday break, there were loads of people with the same idea. On the trail, young kids eager to reach the falls even overtook us. Alas, the first falls was packed with people. The second falls; in contrast to the first was pristine and oh-so inviting.

guintubdan-fall-4

Sadly however, the rusty stairs prevented us from getting closer, much less swim and so we settled on taking our lunch by the steps overlooking the grand falls.

guintubdan-falls-3

Coined after the word “tubod”, which means flowing water, flora, fauna and even waterfalls literally abound here. Cool weather is brought about by high altitude and practically unspoiled nature and the best part of the hike was dipping into the sparkling, icy, cold water of the 3^rd falls. Best way to rejuvenate our, by then, tiring bodies.

guindtubdan-view-deck

The 4^th falls which was a twin lake, we admired from a view deck, as it would take 2 more hours of downhill hike. My bummed knee (which was why I opted not to conquer Mt. Kanlaon just yet) was just about to give up on me so we opted out and enjoyed it from afar.

Guintubdan was an impressive intro to our Negros adventure.

Explore more worlds here.

Posted on April 14, 2009July 15, 2010 by Jenn 16

Uganda Mishaps

You get what you pay for. We were on a budget and we decided to take the bus to save some money. We could have asked the taxi driver to drive us there but it would cost us 4x more than if we took the bus…

After our rafting stint in Kampala, we headed west. We took the wrong bus and ended up in a small town called Kamwenge with no inns to accommodate us. It was our first taste of the local Ugandan life. We should have been alarmed when we entered the bus and saw zero foreigners.

bus-to-kamwenge Credits: Frame (for all photos) by Sweet Shop – Cycle Carnival Frame

The trip was supposed to have taken 4 hours. 5 hours later, we realized we were nowhere near our destination.

kamwenge-enroute1

Along the way, I was scouting for places to sleep and can’t seem to spot any and as the town gets smaller and more remote, my fear gets bigger and more foreboding.

vendors

When we finally reached the end of the road, we got out, got our bags and tried to muster an act of normalcy, probably to no avail. The people were staring, probably wondering what brought these 2 Asians to their town (if they’ve even seen an Asian upclose and personal before). On the bus, dear boyfriend befriended a young local residing in the city, who was going to visit family. Dear boyfriend’s thought balloon – “I’ll force this young guy to take us home with him for the night!” 😯 He probably sensed it because he waited with us for a matatu (their version of our FX) and was I relieved when we were finally on our way to where we were supposed to be 6 hours ago. The driver even helped us find a good hostel, stayed with us until we were guaranteed a room. We were warned by friends to be careful in Africa and so far all we had experienced was kind accommodation from everyone.

OK, that was our scary moment, we also had our fair share of funny moments and one such moment was when we had to take a matatu in Fort Portal to Lake Nkuruba (near Kibale Forest, where the Chimpanzee tracking is). We were the first passengers and had to wait till the car got filled up.

squeeze

The matatu, a Corolla, finally left with all 10 of us – 5 passengers at the back and 5 in front including the driver – but not without a flat tire.

flat-tire1

Don’t ask me how we fit in that poor Corolla. It was hilarious! It didn’t help that dear boyfriend is a big guy and I refused to sit on anyone’s lap nor have any one sit on mine so one guy was practically standing (squatting was more like it!) all the way. Poor guy but I wasn’t budging.

lakeside-cabin

The misadventures did not stop there. In Lake Nkuruba, we booked for the lakeside cabin. It wasn’t what we (or rather I) envisioned it to be and the lake was practically the only thing that was going for us, at this point.

admiring-nkuruba

First of all, the bath is an outhouse on a hill. Secondly, there was no electricity, good thing we had headlamps. But the worst thing was when we were about to call it a day, (headlamp) lights out and all, as I lay down, head resting on my pillow, I felt something moved! MOVED! I was sharing a pillow with a bush rat! Let’s just say that the pillow (and the rat) got thrown out of the cabin, and I shared a pillow and a bed that night! The next day, we checked out and moved to a $45 room in Fort Portal.

So did we save? Learn from our lessons, my friends. If unsure, take a cab and be wary of super budget prices. As I said, you get what you pay for, as simple as that. Not their fault.

Despite the mishaps, this trip was exceptionally memorable (and on hindsight, quite enjoyable) precisely because of the risks we took. The experience was all worth it. No regrets. It’s all good!

Posted on April 2, 2009April 21, 2009 by Jenn 14

A World Heritage Expedition

“We woke up to a perfect storm”, aptly described by a friend of the bad weather that welcomed us one morning as we approached the Sulu Seas on our way to Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park, simply called Tubbataha. The park was declared a National Marine Park in 1988 and a UNESCO enlisted World Heritage Site in 1994.

We were on an expedition on board the M/V Minerva, a research vessel owned and operated by WWF-Philippines, which opened the Cagayancillo micro-archipelago and Tubbataha Reefs to non-divers. Yes NON-DIVERS.

Intrigued with Tubbataha, I’ve always wondered what it was all about. “A must-see and a must-do especially if you are a diver”, I was told, which made me all the more attracted to it, never mind that I didn’t dive (then). The hindrance was the cost and not to mention, the divers will be underwater while I will be left above, trying to get a glimpse of the world beneath (or so I thought). So when I got hold of this offer to join the expedition… you guessed it, I jumped right at the chance. Worth every centavo… good food

and awesome sunsets were just the tip of the iceberg.

Cagayancillo was a discovery, but best of all, we were brought to snorkeling sites (as opposed to dive sites), and without having to don a scuba gear, we saw jacks (schools of ’em) in our face, sea turtles, even reef sharks, stingrays and barracudas owing to very clear visibility. It was a turning point, so to speak. Took up scuba diving soon after and turned out to be one of the best decision ever. 🙂

A reef ecosystem made of 2 atolls; Tubbataha is home to many marine species and is recognized as being probably the best diving in the Philippines and amongst the best in South East Asia. Politically part of Cagayancillo, Palawan, the name Tubbataha comes from the dialect of the Samal, seafaring people of the Sulu region, and means “long exposed reef”.

The remoteness of Tubbataha Reefs has been its greatest protector against our exploitation. There are no permanent residents here and the reefs are only accessible by live-aboard dive boats. Not exactly cheap and easy.

Situated on the north face of the north atoll is a large reef popularly known as Bird Island due to the numerous “boobies” and “noodies” that nests in the islet.

We were greatly charmed by these critters from afar. The nearest we could get to them is thru telephoto lenses as stepping foot on this island is reserved for rangers and researchers. Be that as it may, it was the most spectacular sight I’ve seen as far as bird watching is concerned.

A project of WWF-Philippines, it aims to encourage and demonstrate to the commercial tour operators that there is a market in the non-divers. The hope is that with the support of such operators, Tubbataha Reefs will raise funds each year to pay for itself.

Enjoyed myself immensely that I went on the expedition twice. The first time, as a paying volunteer (to check out the sites) and the second was when it ran its first commercial trip in 2007.

The expedition takes you to not 1 but 3 World Heritage Sites. Aside from Tubbataha, the expedition kicks off and/or concludes with a trip to Miag-ao church and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean underground river.

For the 2009 trip details, click here.

I hope you enjoyed my world this week. To enjoy more worlds, hop on over to My World Tuesday.

Posted on March 31, 2009February 20, 2010 by Jenn 15

PhotoHunt: Four

ph-4x4b

Credits: Frame – Akiloune kit so natural cadre

Taking a 4X4 off-road jeep makes trekking Mt. Pinatubo a walk in the park. What used to be a whole day trek requiring overnight camping in 1999 (when we first trekked this beautiful landscape) is now down to 1 hour of 4X4 ride and about 45 minutes hike to the crater lake. A far cry eh?

ph-4x4

This was taken 5 years ago when the service of 4X4s already existed but still required a grueling 2 hour trek to the crater and hours of rutty ride to the jump-off. The experience however made the journey exceptionally memorable.

In June 1991, after more than 4 centuries of slumber, this volcano erupted so violently (coupled with an unfortunate tropical storm) that its ashes covered almost the entire island of Luzon and permanently changed the landscape of Pampanga, Tarlac and Olongapo. Hundreds of millions of dollars in prime properties and infrastructure was likewise ruined.

pinatubo-crater

The crater lake as it looked in 2004.

 Source: http://park.org/Philippines/pinatubo/ and
 http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/pinatubo.htm

This week’s Photo Hunt theme is Four. To join the fun or enjoy more entries, please click here.

Posted on March 14, 2009March 21, 2010 by Jenn 11

African Groove

african-groove Credits: Papers – JSprague 07, MCO Beautiful Journey 02; Embellishments – JHE Twilled Phrases blank, Leona Apron Strings2 pldlabel, MCO Topper; Overlays – KPertiet Sanded overlay, MCO Boho Flourishes; Paper Mask – MCO Scalloped Paper Mask; Alpha – JSprague Dauphin Alpha

This was taken in Lake Nkuruba Nature Reserve in Fort Portal. It is also home to orphans of AIDS victims. Part orphanage, part guesthouse, the money earned from the guesthouse (and various donors) helps sustain the orphanage. Most of the time, a show is prepared for guests. Performing with gusto, we watched, entertained by their zeal. They showed pride as they performed in front of a handful of delighted foreigners. These children definitely have the groove!

red-colobus

Red Colobus among the many wildlife found at the forest.

lake-nkuruba

Lake Nkuruba was our jump-off point to an up close encounter with the chimpanzees. Uganda is home to gorillas (in Rwenzori Forest) and chimps (in Kibale Forest). Unable, however, to see the gorillas due to time, budget constraints and the government’s policy on permits, we went on the chimpanzee trek.

chimps

fort-portal

A small town with one main road, we found our way to this western town of Uganda the hard way. In fact the highlight of our African adventure was this journey to Fort Portal and Lake Nkuruba. It’s a story all its own so stay tuned. 😀

Posted on March 14, 2009July 31, 2010 by Jenn 0

my adventure odyssey

travel tales, gustatory delights and beyond