veni ... vidi ... vici: Philippine Trips

Showing posts with label Philippine Trips. Show all posts

where miracles happen

... monastery of the holy eucharist. also called the simala shrine, located in simala, sibonga, cebu, philippines. it is the home of the miraculous image of Mary known for the amazing miracles granted to its devotees. it has evolved from a small "chapel" and became this grand church with an adoration chapel inside containing the image known to have shed real tears and have known to help many...including me :)

expect a lot of people coming to this place so come very early, bring your packed lunch as they don't have any carinderias to provide food and beverage. you will be greeted with a very large image of Mary amidst very nice landscaping. The actual monastery is more than a few steps away, you can stop by a "dagkotanan" (atot unsa man sa english ba haha) and light different colored candles depending on what you are asking for (health, wealth, travel, etc)

i went here with a group of my closest friends (year 2008), we left very early on a v-hire (o i miss riding a v-hire, it runs so fast, you'll get to where you want to be without even knowing it haha). everybody brought their lunch, they have cottages that you can eat in, you would have to bring your own water too though but the place is airy and comfortable enough to enjoy a good meal.

they have different chapels, it is very solemn in there. you are not allowed to take pictures of the image inside the chapel nor are you allowed to make any noise. you fall in line to see the image, if possible drop a donation, and pray truthfully, deeply, with tears if necessary, and just say what you need. Mary is known to catholics as a very good intercessor of prayers since she is the mother of our Lord and is known to have asked Jesus to perform his very first miracle (the wedding in Cana) ... objections, reactions, violent reactions allowed :)

parking is not that easy so again, come early. the visit shouldn't last that long if you come at the right time where the lines are manageable, you can even attend their mass i think at 12:00nn it was. and after that, you can rest your worries and enjoy the rest of the afternoon, travelling back to wherever you're from and maybe posing for a picture to keep memories of good times documented :)

...appreciating God's wondrous paradise...

bohol adventure

... bohol. an island province in central visayas famous for the chocolate hills, the tarsier which is the second smallest primate in the world, panglao island; it is also the seat of the treaty of peace between the Filipinos and the Spanish...good for a day trip, a weekend trip, or a week-long vacation...

we went to bohol, december 2007. i got to travel with both my brothers and their families, (which i hope to do again); we hired a travel agent to give us a tour of tagbilaran where all the sights are. they have the sandugo monument which commemorates the peace pact ("blood compact") between Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Datu Sikatuna (shall we go back to Gr. 5 Social Studies, cmon?); Baclayon church--one of the oldest churches in the Philippines; we cruised loboc river and had lunch aboard a floating restaurant; played ukelele with a group of kids, saw the manmade forest of mahogany trees, we saw some lemurs, a giant snake, we skipped the hanging bridge but we made sure we took a picture (without flash of course) of the ever tiny tarsier.

the rest of the week was spent in panglao island, we went on a boat ride to see dolphins in their natural habitat...it was amazing, they swam in groups and it felt scary to be so close to them, i had a hard time taking pictures coz we had too much fun chasing them with the pump boat haha. also, don't go without tasting their famous "kalamay", the sweet taste will 'stick' with you (promise!)...

the highlight of the trip was of course the famous chocolate hills of bohol, i thought we had a picture of us jumping with a broomstick but i guess not ... o well, maybe next time :)

...appreciating God's wondrous paradise...

enchanting camiguin

... camiguin. a small island province in northern mindanao; it has hot springs and cold springs, Katibawasan falls which drops 250ft; it is where you'll find the best tasting lanzones -- they celebrate Lanzones Festival every October; and of course who can forget the yummiest PASTEL ...

camiguin really is quite small, they say you can tour the island in a few hours (we've been there september 2004, i forgot how many hours exactly ... uhm, maybe 24? joke) ... we flew there from cebu on a small plane that sits 19 people, it was the scariest hour of my life but once you get to camiguin it's all worth the scare. this was a very funny and memorable vacation for us in so many ways. thank God for his providence on this trip, He is amazing all the time!!!

my friend tied us up with the right people who brought us to the right places and provided us with good food, yum! you can enjoy hot springs and cold springs; they have "white island" which is like a sand bar--enchanting how the sand is black by the shore but just 15mins away is purely white sand which changes shape depending on how the winds blow. they have the 250ft Katibawasan falls which drops to a pool where you can swim and enjoy the cool (oops, cold) water, they have an interesting tree house, the church ruins of san roque, the sunken cemetery submerged after a volcanic eruption marked today by a huge cross (would you dare go under?) ...

before you go, don't ever forget to grab a box (or more) of the yummy PASTEL, from what i remember they have different flavors but YEMA is the best, for me! If you want a good 7-day vacation, this is a good place to spend it in. you have nature at its best and historic sights to see as well. the view of mt. hibok-hibok is picture-perfect, just remember not to take any "souvenir" from the White Island and you'll be fine hehe ...

...appreciating God's wondrous paradise...

TO DO LIST

* to watch a broadway show, phantom of the opera in new york
* to go on a cruise to the carribean
* to see the great wall of china
* to go to vegas
* to see the grand canyon in arizona
* to go to california
* to see the rock formations in utah
* to see the white dunes in colorado
* to see the alamo in texas
* to go to hawaii
* to see mt. rushmore in south dakota
* to go on a cruise to alaska
* to go to australia
* to go to new zealand
* to try sky diving (but not bungee)
* to go para sailing
* to ride a hot air balloon
* to ride a helicopter
* to go to capitancillo, bogo
* to go to boracay and have my own sand castle
* to go to palawan and do the underground cave tour
* to go to hongkong disneyland with my niece
* to go back to disneyworld with my kuyas and their families
* to go to paris, see the eiffel tower
* to go to italy, see the leaning tower of pisa
* to go to rome, see the coliseum
* to go to greece, see the parthenon
* to see the taj mahal
* to go to dubai
* to see the pyramids in egypt
* to see the stonehenge
* to go to korea
* to see the taj mahal (not the hotel!)

writing things down is taking that first step to getting things DONE!

veni ... vidi ... vici

where miracles happen

bohol adventure

enchanting camiguin

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