el encuentro angel y james

a trip can't be ordinary with this two travel bloggers whose passion for traveling is contagious. angel who blogs in detail and has done some of the best travel guides to some of the best spots in the country and james who mastered cheap travel. this year, angel takes on his bike to journey the country while james will do the "isang daan byahe" challenge. here to feature two filipino travelers and their brief travel profile.
                          
                                                      "el encuentro" 

angel juarez                                         blogger                                              james betia

lakwatsero                                              blog                                           journeyingjames

hong kong, china                               farthest north                                               batanes

bali, indonesia                                  farthest south                                                basilan

socorro, surigao del norte                   farthest east                                 hinatuan, surigao

bangkok, thailand                              farthest west                       kuala  lumpur, malaysia

bali to jogjakarta                             longest road trip          manila to ifugao (via santiago)

manila to palompon, leyte                longest boat trip                                 iloilo to manila

jakarta to manila via singapore        longest plane trip                    kuala lumpur to manila

manila to ligaw albay                        longest train trip                        ho chi minh to hanoi

mt pulag                                            highest point                                kabayan, benguet

anilao, batangas                                 deepest swim                                  coron, palawan 

cape engano - failed attempt              longest trek                                      batad, banaue

cape engano - failed attempt              hardest trek                                      batad, banaue

purse with cash and atm card         item/s lost in a trip      passport, camera, travel money

a charcoal painting - butuan  item/s given/bought on a trip  smile from the locals/slippers

tamilok - puerto princesa                worst food eaten         half-cooked chicken dipped in  

                                                                                                                          dirt&salt

note: 

1. farthest places reached are referenced from Manila (with Manila to Europe as West and Manila to Guam as East).

2. records here are subject to update. as we know travelers break their records from time to time. records here are updated as of this posting

previously featured:

edcel suyo and ferdz decena

chyng reyes and ga-el hilotin

allan barredo and oggie ramos

nina fuentes and upper viceo

adventure 2012

2012 is another year of adventure in the Philippines. this year i am participating R.O.X. and The North Face Seven Summits Pilipinas. i believe in the saying "work hard. play hard".

crossing cebu's mountain range on two wheels

 

whether it's riding or driving a bike, it has always been one of the best way to explore the islands of the Philippines. next to trekking, this is the most exciting option to access remote areas under rough road conditions.

 

still with Edwin, Doi and Ed  negotiated two motor bike drivers to bring us downhill. an unusual route. it took us some time to convince them as they have to return back to Mantalongon without passengers. but then they agreed at certain price.

mantalongon cebu

 

all the while i thought Cebu was dependent on the nearby provinces in terms of crops as it has achieved big time in the manufacturing and tourism sectors. but Mantalongon has revealed so much thus it was a big surprise for me to found the side of Cebu that i never knew. 

if Baguio is the summer capital the Philippines, Cebu considers the municipality of Dalaguete particularly the mountain range of Mantalongon as their own summer capital. a spot that covers Cebu's highest peak and holds Cebu's coolest breeze.

 

but as one would expect a summer capital to have many options for an overnight stay, this town holds a few. as the most preferred stay here would be to camp over Osmena peak. in our case, we were offered the option to stay overnight in a barangay hall. yes in a barangay hall.

 

Mantalongon is different from the typical towns in the Philippines, its central area is composed of a small playground, the bus terminal, the public market, the covered court while the barangay hall and the church is located far from it.

 

a morning walk on a weekend gives one the chance to experience up close Mantalongon's market day. the town's covered court is converted into a large vegetable market. here vegetables are sold by baskets. large, packed and heavy. 

 

 

despite a tiring day that comes out of hard work on a busy market day, i believe i found one of the best reasons that kept the locals motivated to work. the genuine smile of the little ones.

 

Profile:

Barangay: Mantalongon
Altitude: 900MASL
Municipality: Dalaguete
Province: Cebu
Region: Central Visayas
Island: Cebu

Location: 
Distance from Cebu: 90km
GPS Location: 
9' 50'' 9 N
123' 26'' 8 E

How to get there:
By commuting:
[1] From Cebu City, take a bus to Dalaguete from the Cebu South Terminal or buses that is bound to Boljoon and Oslob which will also pass by Dalaguete. (2.5hours due to some stopover)
[2] From Dalaguete, look for the crossing where motorbikes or locally known as habal-habal that will bring you to the small humble town of Mantalongon.
By car or private vehicle:
[1] Go directly to Mantalongon via the Cebu South road and take a right turn from the Dalaguete crossing to Mantalongon market (2.5hours).
[2] You can park your vehicle somewhere around town.

eskapo recommends:

1. if in case you plan to stay overnight in Mantalongon, you can approach the barangay hall which offers an overnight sleepover room for a minimal fee.

el encuentro: nina fuentes y upper viceo

two good friends who i consider as among the most traveled bloggers from the philippines. nina just won the 2011 nuffnang's best travel blog and also in 2010 as best philippine travel blog. upper on the other hand was born to live adventure. she did the long and dangerous spelunking in samar, the danao jump and backpacked south to north of india. here to feature two filipina travelers and their brief travel profile.
                          
                                                      "el encuentro" 

nina fuentes                                         blogger                                           upper viceo

justwandering                                         blog                                          offbeatwanders

chefchaouen, morocco                       farthest north                          maine, new england

tasmania, australia                             farthest south                                           malaysia

guam, usa                                          farthest east                                    east coast, usa

marrakech, morocco                           farthest west                                                india

yangon to mandalay, myanmar            longest road trip                       manila to pagudpud

ko pha ngan to chumphon, thailand    longest boat trip                           manila to boracay

manila to abu dhabi, UAE                 longest plane trip                    manila to san francisco

bangkok to butterworth, malaysia     longest train trip                        chicago to new york

mt daguldol                                        highest point                mt ripose/koroban, batanes  

donsol, sorsogon                                 deepest swim                         dos palmas, palawan 

mt daguldol                                        longest trek                  jiabong, samar (spelunking)

mt daguldol                                        hardest trek        getting lost in adams, ilocos norte

mp3 player                                  item/s lost in a trip       sd card in a sewage in new york  

thanakah                                item/s given/bought on a trip    copper bracelet (Morocco)

crickets                                         worst food eaten                 snake wine from vietnam 

note: 

1. farthest places reached are referenced from Manila (with Manila to Europe as West and Manila to Guam as East).

2. records here are subject to update. as we know travelers break their records from time to time. records here are updated as of this posting

previously featured:

edcel suyo and ferdz decena

chyng reyes and ga-el hilotin

allan barredo and oggie ramos

eskapo turns four

eskapo just turned four with the mission to document travel and the experience in every journey. each year exploring isolated places, conquering mountains and loving the beaches. but each year was dominated with particular perspective.


the first year was more of the personal aspect and feature of everyday people
 
the second year was almost endless road trips


the third year was the time in exploring Asian countries and traditions


the fourth year was the celebration of trekking and journeys with other travelers
also on the fourth year i started

El Encuentro - featuring two bloggers and their travel profile. 
Eskapo Mountain Series - a series of treks 


big thanks to all those who follow eskapo and the people i journeyed with in 2011.

Eskapo Team who joined me in Pinatubo, Calaguas and Batad: 
Jarvik, Gerard, Che, Paul, Tina, Carlo, Majane, Rea, Alex, Tine, Cris, Joanne, Sir Toto, Ms Jen, Romeo, Paz, Dory, Shy, Anto, Efren, Gerald, Theo, Rose, Olive, Edna, Rushel, Chacha, Rosa, Gia, Limbee, Jannu, Dave, Rick, Josh, Lea, Divine, Faith, Melody, Dang, Rize, Steven, Kevin, Aeron, Paolo, Kuya Ruel and Kuya Edwin and Pinatubo team, 


Bloggers who I journeyed with this year: 
Ga-el, Chyng, Alexandra, Mica, Doi, Edcel, Edwin, Allan, Erick, Oman, Chid, Kevin


PTB and PTB Bagets: for the fun times. looking forward to some journeys with other travel bloggers this year.


New friends met along the way:
Kalinga: Josie, Concepcion, Victor Baculi, Otmar, 
El Nido: Winwin (Cebu), Leah (Cebu), the solo lady from Australia, Jop De Vos (Netherlands), Jana (France), Josh (Australia) and the rest of the backpackers who i met there
Imugan: Pastor Rice and the entire family, Art (our guide) and Persia (the dorm caretaker)


Team Panasonic
Lanie, Jackie, Ray Anne, Irish, Michi, Nino, Rogie, Ka-Luis and KC.


Lingkod Alabang community and Hormigos, Nunal and Cruz family.


the good years in documenting travel i owe it above all to GOD.


Special thanks to:
R.O.X.
Dispatch 
Jansport
High Sierra
Integra
M Magazine 
ANC Shop Talk 
Alta Vista Boracay
Microtel Puerto Princesa