Jahms’s Post-Travel Essentials

Every so often remember to sit down, relax and enjoy the view.

Traveling is indeed fun and exhilarating  I can always feel the excitement it brings every time I have a travel plan. In spite of this, there is always one thing I consider – the aftermath of the adventure.  Considerably, traveling is also a tiring and exhausting activity. It is not felt during the period of enjoyment but it is mostly experienced post-travel.  There are things that you need to remember after spending an awesome vacation and I call it "Jahms's Post-Travel Essentials".

Don't let leftovers sit in the bag.

1.       Unpacking – This is the most important thing to do after arriving home from a travel. Most people have problems with unpacking because they fall prey to the lure and comfort of their bed -- to sleep and dream after days of sleepless nights and all-day adventure. Used clothes and unconsumed food among other things  need to be taken out from the bag to avoid spoiling. This might cause you more hassle if you won’t do it as soon as possible.

2.       Clean the car (if you have one) – Don’t forget to clean the car after the trip. It's harder to remove those dust mud stains if you let it sit longer. If you still have money left, head to the nearest car wash and let the pros do it for you. And while you're at it, check your tires too, you'll never know if you had accidentally ran over a sharp stone or object while on the road.

3.       Take a Shower – After the unpacking and cleaning the car, it is time to clean yourself. It is important to do this after a stressful travel. You will never know how dirty and grimy you are. Trust me, you don’t want to sleep with dirt in your face and in your body. So scrub, scrub, scrub!

Log in and start uploading those photos!

4.       Share your experience – Documentation is the most exciting part. It is one of the best things that you must do after weekend out of town. There are several ways on how to share your experience to your friends and the easiest would be sharing photos on Facebook (with captions, location and dates, of course!) or in any social networking sites such as Twitter and Instagram. You can also write a blog about your trip to make your sharing more thorough and detailed (like what I am doing).

5.       Snooze it – Finally, what all of you have been waiting for -- to rest, sleep, dream! If you are done with everything else you can now hit the sack in the most comfortable place on earth – your bed. Or better yet sit on the couch with your feet up and catch the latest episodes of your favorite TV shows.

So, these are the Jahms's Post-Travel Essentials after a great adventure. Enjoy life, live and have fun! 

A Walk In The (Pasig Rainforest) Park

Who would have known that there is a decent, even impressive, park in this part of the city? I surely didn't! And with the cheap entrance fee (only Php50) you could enjoy the basic facilities of the Pasig Rainforest Park, and if you want to pay extra you can also experience the butterfly garden, flower garden, mini zoo, pool area, train ride, zipline, wall climbing, and adventure park.

As you can see the place is really huge! You can spend the entire day here with your family or loved one and never get bored. The good thing is, outside food can be brought inside with no extra charge. I'm not sure if you can cook food there (like a barbecue under the shade of the trees) as I did not notice any cooking areas. 

Green-eared sliders bathing under the sun

An unlikely friendship between a croc and a turtle

This is one animal in their zoo that is of unknown origin.

Among other animals, there were crocodiles, snakes, various species of birds, wild cats, ostriches, and wild pigs.

For the young and the young at heart *ehem*, fun time is definitely here at the Pasig Rainforest Park Kiddie Playland. There are also benches shaded by the trees where you can rest while watching your kids play.

I'm home!!

Can't get lost with all these signs around!

For the joggers, this is a good place to do your early morning or evening exercise. They don't have a rubber walkway but you can most definitely make a lot of turns around the park to sweat out the stress.

life-size chess pieces

 And if you have an able partner, playing life-size chess is a good way to pass the hours of the afternoon -- and get some exercise from it too. These chess pieces are HEAVY so Better make your moves count!

The park is filled with these dinosaur sculptures and many other other animals like lions and deers.

Overall, The Pasig Rainforest Park is a great place to spend quality time by yourself or with a group. 

Terra Manna : Experience the Wonders of Creation

Terra Manna is a hill-top beach resort situated in Badian, Cebu. Literally, the name TERRA means “Earth” and MANNA means “bread from heaven” thus, indicating that there is goodness in heaven that can be experience here on earth. Terra Manna offers nature at its best. It landscapes the beauty of creation. Beautiful scenery over the hill-top, fresh air and natural garden are some of the wonderful things that the resort offers to their guest.  Not to mention its healthy, fresh and organic food that will satisfy your appetite.

Flower arrangements like these dot the resort

 

Heading down to the beach

How to get there -  Badian is located 98 km southwest of Cebu City and 5Hr bus ride from Cebu South bus Terminal. If you have private car, it will take 2-3hrs travel from Cebu Proper. Terra Manna, on the other hand, is a 30-minute ride from Badian Proper. You can take tricycle (local transportation) from the town proper going to the resort.

Activities - Terra Manna provides a lot of activities like swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, trekking, stargazing, etc. You can also visit the hidden wonders of Badian like the magnificent Kawasan falls, the Badian Island and the beautiful beaches around the place.

Accommodation and Rates - Terra Manna also offer affordable rates for the rooms and accommodations. They have bahay-kubo, tents and villa type cottages that will suit your preferences with regards to where you want to sleep. The room rates ranges from Php1,500 – Php3,500.

Inside the Octagon villa with a t&b outside the room

Food – The food is healthy and organic since they have their own garden which they are taking care of. They offer menus which will satisfy your cravings and your appetite as well.

Bar Area

Terra Manna will surely be the place you would like to be if you want a relaxing and meditative vacation alone, with someone or with your family. 

No escalators here! Got to climb back up that long flight of stairs! 

Happy trip!

What To Prepare For A Long Drive

Last weekend, a friend and I decided to drive down south (of Cebu). I had just arrived from a morning plane from Manila and will be leaving the following Monday so our schedule was tight and because of this it was decided to head straight south from the airport. Actually, there were no particular places we wanted to visit. The plan was just to take a relaxing drive south and that's exactly what we did.

The car was loaded up with gas, tire pressures, oil, coolant and brake fluid levels checked. We were good to go and down the road we went pushing the pedal to the metal. That is until a couple of kilometers later, when our stomachs rumbled and reminded us something we forgot to do --- eat breakfast! Mental not to selves: "Above all things, do not forget breakfast before driving out."

OK, we didn't plan that out so well as we had thought but there's always next time and for sure we won't be making the same mistake again. And to remind us of that here are Jahms's Mental Notes Before A Long Drive that will come in handy in the future:

1.  Charge up the camera and load a blank memory card -- expect to take lots of photos and you have one, bring a spare battery for the camera! You'll never know when you would need one to capture those special moments!

2.  Stock up on food and water -- food is essential for a trip! Sure you can do this along the way especially if the travel time is around mid-morning but if you plan to leave early morning, you have to buy the day before.

3. Check the car -- as stated above, check the tires (including the spare), oil, coolant and brake fluids and gas up! Don't forget to bring tools in case of emergencies. 

4. Bring extra clothes and a towel -- you'll never know when a strong urge to take a dip in the beach/river/spring would come and it's better to bring extra clothes than to wait for them to dry or worse, get in your car and get everything else wet! 

5. Load up your cellphone! -- Make sure to load your cell phone with prepaid credits in case you need to make an emergency call or inform your loved ones where you are or you will be so dead when you get back to the city!

So those are the essentials. Plan your day ahead so you could enjoy. Happy trip!