Archives for November 2015

Mt. Tagapo Day Hike: Ferry Rides, Bamboo Caves, Windy Trails

November 26, 2015

After weeks of planning and rescheduling, our Mt. Tagapo day hike finally pushed through. Though it was just Ate Marco, Ate Ninay and I, I’m still glad and thankful for our short climb up the mountain located at the center of Laguna de Bay.

Mt. Tagapo, also called Mt. Susong Dalaga, is definitely one of my most memorable day hikes, partly because it was the smallest group that I joined! Years ago, I wouldn’t have went if I knew majority of my friends weren’t going. But my desire for the great outdoors and beautiful sights are now greater than my introversion. For that I am thankful. Besides, I really missed Ate Marco and Ate Ninay, so a day with them will always be well spent. [Read more…]

Fall in Korea Day 6: Warm Autumn Sunshine at Gyeongbokgung Palace

November 9, 2015

Of all the palaces in South Korea, I wonder if there’s one that can be more magical, more golden than Gyeongbokgung Palace.

It was as lovely in spring as it was in autumn, and I couldn’t be happier to see it both times. Even though it’s probably one of the most congested tourist spots in Seoul, it’s definitely worth a visit. Because it’s so large, we saw numerous areas in the palace were still empty and quiet. No matter how huge it is, there’s a place for everyone to sit down and relax.

We decided to forego Changdokgung and Cheonggyecheon and focus only on Gyeongbokgung. We had limited time, and we realized that visiting all the palaces and temple in Korea would take more than a week. Thankfully, our chosen palace showed all the glory of the season, and we could only wish that the afternoon would last longer. We skipped lunch for this! [Read more…]

Fall in Korea Day 6: Cheonggyecheon and Gwanghwamun Square

November 6, 2015

For our last full day in Seoul, we made sure to exhaust every minute and breathe in all the sights, sounds and scent of the city. The entire day was still filled excitement and glee, but there was the looming thought that next day, we’d be boarding a plane back to Manila. I said it before and I’ll say it again, I will never get tired of Seoul.

I’ve been to the Cheonggyecheon Stream before, but this time, larger-than-life lanterns were displayed along the length of the stream. It was for the Lantern Festival last year! We were supposed to go there the previous night, but we arrived back in Seoul from Nami Island quite late. After re-arranging our itinerary, we realized that we still had enough time to squeeze it on our morning schedule. In fact, it was our first stop for our last day. [Read more…]