It seems like every first paragraph of my posts this month have been about how I've slacked on writing and how I didn't make time to chronicle the beautiful moments that have passed. So let me just cut off the chase and tell you that the first month of 2013 has been awesome.

For starters, we went to the Genesis Transport Services Terminal along Cubao. We were reserved on the 2nd JoyBus going to Baler. As expected, the bus was full and it departed on time. (Read: Bawal ang fashionably late. *cough* Jenn *cough* Yes, I just cough-mocked myself.)

The price of a one-way ticket in a JoyBus is Php700. There are two trips: one that leaves at midnight and one that leaves at 1:30 AM. I overheard our *steward tell another passenger that the next JoyBus won't leave until 5 AM in the morning. 

I bought our 9 tickets. Guess whose name got misspelled?

Mind you, the seats always get sold out, especially during the peak season (summer months). It's best if you can reserve your seats at least one week before your travel date. It is also important to note that you won't be able to reserve/buy seats for the Baler-Manila Joybus trips as it is only exclusive in their Baler ticketing office. I think Genesis should invest in an online ticketing system to make the booking process hassle-free. 

*Yes, steward/stewardess. They have one per trip! The Joybus is basically a bus that seats 28 people, all in lazy boy seats. They boast of a nonstop trip to their destination, and for that they offer a restroom facility, pillows, blankets, snacks and free Wifi. 

What I love about travelling that early is that we could beat the traffic, allowing us to arrive earlier than expected. Twice I have ridden a JoyBus from Manila, and twice we clocked exactly 5 hours since we left the bus terminal. Via a regular bus, it would take 6-7 hours.

At the Baler bus terminal

My only qualm with the trip was the AC. Jam and I already turned off ours but it was still way too cold, making it really hard for us to sleep. What I liked this time, though, was that I actually got to connect to their Wifi. It was fast in most areas but dead at some parts of the trip.



Another improvement is that their ticketing office is now inside terminal premises. See the photo of the bus above? The office is right in front of it, whereas there was a time where the office doubled as the ticket officer's house, far from the terminal.  At least now it's more convenient. We booked out return tickets as soon as we got off the bus.

Contact details for your reference

Unlike my first Baler trip last year, this time we actually stayed for more than 24 hours in Aurora. We were only booked in Bay-ler View Hotel for one night (Yup, same hotel) but we spontaneously decided on staying until the next day. I'd say no one really wanted to leave the Php 1400 round trip JoyBus fare to waste on a one-day trip. (Now that I think about it, that can already be the airfare to Puerto Princesa.)

Will I take the JoyBus again? Absolutely! I have tried the regular bus and it was not fun. My back hurt from the 7-hr ride. The pain and wifi is worth more than your additional 350 pesos, trust me.

Disclaimer: Title coined by the juanrepublic here. I do not claim to be the best of it as I could think of many people who are a lot better but it's nice to see people actually liking this certain photo collection of me. Also, I get to be the queen for once so yay!

Doing jump shots has been my thing whenever I go swimming. You see, I don't actually "swim", not because I don't like to but because I don't know HOW. Yes, You can always call me the Palawenian Who Can't Swim.

So there I was, on a beach somewhere, wearing a cute two-piece swimsuit. Of course I'll have to produce a picture that would make me remember the place. And since camwhoring in swimsuits is something I couldn't actually just post around and be proud of, I started doing this thing that would catch attention (hello, this is miss attention whore!) and something that not everyone could do, hence my jump shots.

I think this started around summer before my 2nd year in college. Kaso hindi pa uso non ang DSLR kaya camera phone lang gamit ko. Back then, I was still too shy to do it. I would place my phone on a stable platform and set the timer so that no one would have to see me doing silly poses and jumps.

Fast forward to my first summer getaway with my officemates in my first year working, I got this photo.

La Union Year 1

It was hyped the moment I posted it. I got comments and compliments. But I do realize now that I do better jumps now.

Then beach trip after beach trip, I simply won't return home without one.

Bataan

Bataan

Bataan 2

This next one, was from Laiya. Seriously, this bikini is getting the most jump shot mileage. Every beach trip, I bring at least two pairs. This orange pair I bought from House of Vanita, I always bring as backup. Can you guess why? Yes, I DO have other pairs. Many pairs in fact. I used to think I had to buy another pair for every beach trip so now I have lots. And of course, the moment I pick my ass to do these shots would be the time I'm coincidentally wearing the backup bikini.

Laiya, Batangas

Sometimes, I tame them down when I'm with other people.

La Union Year 2

Nagsasa Cove, Zambales

 I actually tried this next one, without thinking what I'd do. I was a bit pressured. I was being shot by two people and I felt like I had to do something spectacular so they won't get disappointed. I knew I had to do something different, or else it would defeat the purpose of doing the same exact thing, just on a different beach, won't it?

Baler, Aurora

How to get there:
Most Baler patrons (at least those that I know of) suggest that the bus is the best way to go to Baler. Not only does it make the travel hassle-free, it is also a lot safer.


Hassle-free because all you'll need to do is drop yourselves off to the bus station and if you're lucky, get a trip via *Joybus, also the tiring 5-7hr drive will take a toll on the designated driver, making it hard to enjoy the getaway. Also, apparently. it is better to those who will be bringing their own surfboards.

Safer because the road is not for road trippers, especially less experienced drivers. There are zigzag paths, wherein even in a bus, it could be scary. What more if the driver is not used to the path.

*Joybus is Genesis Transport Service Inc.'s special bus that has routes to popular tourist destinations like Baler, Baguio, La Union, etc. The bus station is located at Cubao, beside Baliwag.


What makes the Joybus special is that for an additional Php280, you'll get a bus with wifi, snacks, pillow and blanket, a comfort room, lazy boy seats and a friggin' stewardess! Even local economy flights don't have these! If you have a choice, this is the ONLY way to travel to Baler.

Joybus ticket to Baler, Aurora. Purchased before the price hike.

And because we weren't so lucky on the way back to Metro Manila, we weren't able to catch a Joybus. Apparently, you can only book departure tickets in advance, which is possibly the only con we've encountered transpo-wise. The tickets from Baler-Manila, you have to purchase from the Baler Genesis office, which is like this nipa house at the back of the bus parking lot. It's purely on a first-come first-serve basis, so if it's a peak season, better secure those return tickets as soon as you get to Baler.

In our case, since our plan was for a 2D1N stay only, we got beaten in the Joybus ticket slots by those who planned for a 3D2N stay, who arrived on a Friday, and purchased their return tickets on the same day. Heck, we couldn't even get return tickets for a regular bus on our preferred time (which brings us on why the the title is as it is; to be written later).

As for the price hike, it conveniently occurred during the day we departed. Here are the bus ticket prices for your reference.

	Previous Price	Current Price
Regular Bus	Php400	Php429
Joybus	Php650	Php695

I have always loved the beach. It's just that growing up in Palawan, I've been really partial about beaches because I know I've seen the best. And if I were to go spend vacation in one aside from Palawan beaches, it has to be on a good deal.

This is where researching became a good weapon before venturing into Puerto Galera for the first time. I looked for other alternatives but after calculating, Angel's Travel Tours was by far the best price. And because of the good feedback I read online, I booked everyone's travel itinerary with them. It was summer so a deal like this cannot be ignored.

Tickets for MB Golden Hawk

You get to wear a sticker so the ferry crew and the staff from the resort would recognize you as their guest.

We waited for 40 minutes to board in Gate 2B because we missed the earlier ferry trip.

Their promo package included the back and forth ferry ride, environmental fees, terminal fee, shuttle service, and room accommodation. All we had to do was be at the Batangas Pier to meet and pay the travel agent, in our case, Mhae.

Balcony area outside our room

The rung behind us is where we hang our wet clothes

We stayed at Delgado's Resort. The building seems newly built. The room we got was good for the 5 of us. Sorry for not having photos without people in it. I always take pictures of the amenities of the resorts I go to. I guess I just forgot to do so this time. You can click here to see the amenities as posted on their Facebook Fan Page.