A Long Weekend - Isla de Gigantes

Not so long ago, my girl friends and I had a serious case of island fever and wanderlust. So we decided to go on a trip to a place I only heard of very, very recently: Isla de Gigantes.

Isla de Gigantes (Island of the Giants) - legend has it that giants use to roam these islands after 8ft long coffins were dug up along with ancient earthen ware. Cool, noh?

After 8 hours of road travel, 3 vans, and one boat ride, we found ourselves in a place without cellphone signal, day time electricity or exceptionally tall people. Just friendly, accommodating locals who seem to be content in the simplicity of their lifestyle and who knew all the possible ways one can cook scallops!

I took hundreds of photos, as usual. But for this trip I also made a video, which to conserve space is what I would rather share here. :) Enjoy!

A Long Weekend - Isla de Gigantes, Iloilo from Denise Tolentino on Vimeo.

Malalison Island - It Doesn't Get Any Quieter Than This

A week in my Lola's province of Antique can go by really fast. First you sit, then you eat the most delicious homemade food, and before you know it, you have to go.  You realize you never left the dining table and all you did was sit and talk and eat.

Good thing we had a goal. Our beloved island, Boracay was in hyper summer party mode, so our plan was to celebrate the end of Amihan season the opposite way, with total peace and quiet. 

So after spending dangerous hours at my Lola's dining table, Arnaud and I decided to explore dear old Antique. We borrowed my Lola's car and drove around. We stopped by beaches, rivers, drove into rice fields and dry river banks (by accident), got lost, found our way, got lost again, met the town lunatic, took photos, drove again. It was nice.

Then we reserved one day for Malalison a.k.a. Mararison. An island we've been eyeing from Google Earth since let's say, October. We heard it was beautiful. My late Lolo Julit talked about this island to his kids but none of them have explored it. Here's me listening to you, Lolo. 

 It was exactly what we wee looking for. No business establishments, no party music, no crowd. Just...

After talking to the Tourism Officer John John (because you have to see him before you can go to the island), we learned that there were only 2 other tourists in Malalison, a Russian couple on honeymoon. We didn't even see them until the last minute of our visit. 

You could tell that Malalison isn't used to tourism yet. We could feel curious stares from the locals as we walked past their houses. Our guide waved to his friends proudly announcing that he was a tour guide for today. He basically showed us the path across the hills from one beach to another. Apart from that, we were on our own. Really on our own.

We packed our own lunch because like I said, there aren't any resorts or restaurants. But we thought maybe we could get a cup of 3-in-1 coffee from the sari-sari store. We asked our guide if there was a store we could buy from. He looked hesitant, fished his phone out of his pocket and made a call. In a few minutes the Barangay Captain came with mugs, sachets of coffee and a thermos of hot water, all from his own house. Wow. 

So after a late merienda and exchanging stories with the Barangay Captain we decided to go. But as we were leaving, I was already thinking of my return.


Photos 5, 10, 12, 14 & 16 taken by Arnaud Mahe

13 Going on 30

2013 is a big year for me. It's the year I cross over from a decade of crazy-wonderful memories into this obscure and unfamiliar terrain also known as the 30s - which, by the way happened almost a month ago.

It's weird. I of course do not feel a day older. But something about being 30 has created this mix of response from people: ranging from a condolence high five to a welcome-to-the-brotherhood handshake. 

As with all new discoveries, I leave the 30s to the wind and see where it takes me. It is after all, a whole new adventure. 

I know most people feel differently but I had no fear of turning the curve and have absolutely no hang ups about being 30. One, because when I look back on my 20s, I'm proud to say that I did alright. Wait, let me rephrase. I did it all, not all was right. But in the end it was alright. :) 

I have no regrets. Okay, maybe some hairstyles. But looking at my 20s, I just want to give myself a big high five… for risking, for gambling, for loving, for surviving, for taking leaps and falling, for taking chances and finding happiness.

Cheers to a decade of experimentation -

(my hair has examined the color wheel, the platinum one is a wig. ;))

of exploration - to beautiful and memorable places

of exciting and awesome experiences

of falling in love

of making mistakes

and of having the best times with the best company,and finding some of my favorite people in the world. :)

So what do I look forward to for my 30s? 

Maybe none of the hair experimentation, less mistakes but more of the rest.
A lot more of the rest. :)

Excuse Me While I Learn to Teleport

and so it begins…

that kind of relationship that people define by the physical space between a couple. BUT, I decided I don't want to use THAT term here. 

Because this is also the kind of relationship that makes every sent message so valuable. The kind of relationship that makes every call so dear (and by that I also mean expensive!). The kind of relationship that makes you stay up wayyy past your bed time just to hear about someone's day - and you wouldn't end yours any other way. The kind of relationship where typed words carry the comfort, tenderness and love that a touch, kiss and embrace brings. And so reading them makes your heart swell and fills you up with so much happiness that your lips stretch into the biggest smile. It's the kind of relationship where I cherish every moment that I hear his voice and see his face, I cherish it so much that I attempt to preserve it with a command+shift+3. 

That is how I would rather define this, this exciting, beautiful thing. Not by the gap, not by the distance. Anyway, I was never good at geography, and right now, it doesn't mean a thing to me. :)

Up, Up and Away!

We made it! We've wrapped up our trip up north and boy do we have a lot of stories to tell. But we don't want to bore anyone with thick photo albums of half a month's worth of travel so we decided to make a video instead.

It was so much fun, I can't put it into words. All I can say is I love these guys to bits and traveling the north definitely wouldn't have been the same without them. When you're not traveling alone, good company is almost as important as the places you visit. You will see what I mean. Super good vibes.

 Enjoy! (P.S. Watch it with the highest quality setting.)

I will post the sketches I made once I am done (too many things to draw!!!)

:-D